The Madman’s Daughter

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

The Madman's Daughter is dark, twisted, and captivating. It is the perfect book for any mystery and science fans. The characters are all intriguing, there was constant action and mystery and the world that Megan Shepherd created is so mesmerizing you can't help but fall in love with it. In my opinion, this book was perfect.

Juliet works as a maid at a University in London, trying to stay out of poverty ever since there was a giant scandal with her fathers research, causing her father to leave London and abandon Juliet. When she finds Montgomery, her father's assistant, she decides to flee London and travel to a remote island where her father is said to be continuing his research. The island is filled with her fathers strange creations, with Montgomery and castaway Edward by her side, not even Juliet can be safe from the murdered trapped on the same island.

I am so impressed with how this book turned out. I wasn't expecting it to be as captivating as it was. I feel like most of that was due to the incredible and unreal characters.
Juliet is honestly one of my favourite characters right now. She reminds me a lot of Tessa from Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, they both share that passion of knowledge and deeper understanding, even though it wasn't proper for woman to do so in that time. I love how Juliet has a thirst for knowledge and loves to solve mysteries, this made her so much more relatable and made me love her even more.
I wasn't too impressed with the love triangle in this story. It was good in the fact that I couldn't decide between which boy I liked better, but that was mostly because I didn't really like either of them that much. While I thought Montgomery was really handsome and smart, I didn't think he was really into Juliet. He seemed really distant and more interested in other things than Juliet.
I loved Edwards devotion to Juliet, but he seemed really needy and sometimes kind of annoying.
I found myself cheering for one of them at one point, and then near the end I started cheering for the other one. Then by the last chapter I was like "To hell with you both, single forever!"
Don't get me wrong, the love triangle is still very interesting and I feel like it would make the book more enjoyable if you liked one of the boys, but I just couldn't get into it.
The other islanders was what captivated me the most. They were the characters I was most looking forward to reading about. I loved how they were all so unique and different, and how they all had their own personalities and everything. What really allured me to them was the science behind it. As a scientist myself the whole process and the possibility of such creatures was really mesmerizing to me and I found myself wanting to read more of how her father created them.

This book is filled with a lot of mystery, and it works perfectly well with this book. Since this book is very dark and somewhat scary, the mystery aspect of this story worked perfectly. Usually when I guess who the bad guy is in the story, I'm usually right, but this time I was completely wrong. The author did an amazing job making you guess and then completely surprising you in the end.

Overall, I found this book to be absolutely perfect. I can't wait to continue on with this series. I highly recommend this book to all fantasy, mystery and science fans. It will captivate you, and you will fall in love with the series.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd is the first book in The Madman's Daughter trilogy. This was a re-telling of The Island of Dr. Moreau told from Juliet Moreau's point of view and has some of the same or similar main characters from the movies. These characters were changed up a bit. There are many similarities to the movies, so there are certain things that you know will happen. That was one of the things that bothered me. Granted, it's been a loooong time since I've seen either movie(and I havent read the original book ... yet), but it seemed like some parts of this book weren't changed much. Basically, you had Juliet going through similar situations instead of Andrew if you go by the first movie or Montgomery(I think) if you go by the second. I know with re-tellings there are bound to be similarities. You can't really avoid it, but to me anyways, there seemed to be a lot of familiar happenings and such. In reality, all that didn't hurt my enjoyment of this book. I definitely need to read the original Island of Dr. Moreau book now though.

Despite the lovely cover and the intriguing possibilities presented by a reworking of Wells' utterly weird (but dry) The Island of Doctor Moreau, I had grave doubts about The Madman's Daughter once I realized it was intended as the opening book of a trilogy. There's a tendency in teen publishing these days to stretch a story to the breaking point to make it last across three books, and I've seen more than one grand idea fall victim to the Curse of the Filler.

Happily, Shepherd laid to rest all my fears, presenting me with a layered Gothic tale which honors its source material while still managing to shake it up. Part of the author's secret is the contrast of starting the tale in the coal-dark jungle of 19th century London, where protagonist Juliet is surrounded by monsters of a slightly less literal type than those her father cuts and pastes together out on his Pacific isle. Obviously things don't really get cooking until Juliet crosses the ocean, reunites with her long-lost Papa, and gets treated to a few choruses of "Thou shalt not crawl in the dirt!", and by then you're unlikely to care whether Shepherd's planning on two more books or six as long as there's *more*.

The Madman's Daughter was delightfully creepy, twisty, and bizarre! I'm so glad it wasn't scary though! It's more dark and weird than anything else, which is good. It's a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, which I have not read nor seen, so I can't say how closely it follows the original. I can say that I very much enjoyed it, despite being highly disturbed and grossed out at times.

The Madman's Daughter starts out with Juliet working as a maid at the local university. She mops up blood and other fluids after surgeries. Luckily, she's not squeamish and actually knows a fair amount about anatomy, physiology, and other medical topics. Soon enough, during a very disturbing scene which I will not mention, we learn that her father is essentially a mad scientist. His experiments are certainly not for the faint of heart, and were even too much for the scientific community. But he's the only family Juliet has left, so she intends to find him. Of course, this brings her to the island where he resides and continues his research in peace.

The island is sooo messed up! Or really, it's what takes place on the island which is messed up. There are several scenes which actually made me feel a bit queasy, but I couldn't stop reading! I was much like Juliet in that she simultaneously believes her father is a genius, but also that what he's doing is completely wrong. I did think the twists of The Madman's Daughter were quite predictable, but that didn't keep me from being shocked or disturbed at all.

There is a strong romantic component in The Madman's Daughter right along side the creepy stuff. It is a love triangle, and one that I really enjoyed. There's Montgomery, whom Juliet knew as a child, before he disappeared along with her father. Now, he's his assistant, and aids in all of the horrible experiments. Juliet is very conflicted because she cares for him, but he might be nearly as much as a monster her father is. Then there's Edward, a castaway they picked up on their way to the island. He's immediately smitten with Juliet, but she's wary. That boy has his secrets, but she never pries. Then they come out, and I was like "aaahh!." I kind of knew it, but not really. And I wanted them together for the same disturbing reason as her father! Clearly this book messed with my head.

The Madman's Daughter is great! It's definitely unlike any books that I usually read, which made it really stand out. It's creepy and unsettling, but there's also swoon worthy moments amongst the madness. That ending though? WHY?! I'm so glad I grabbed Her Dark Curiosity at the same time, because I would not want to be left hanging like that!

I actually hate myself a little bit because it took me way too long to pick this book up, even though I have heard so many great things about it; and now that I have finally read it, I can say that The Madman's Daughter is easily one of my favorite books of all time. My love for any book that can mess me up psychologically has never steered me wrong (all my favorites are mindf*ckers) and I am glad that I set my sights on this book. I have so many feels right now. So. Freaking. Many.

I have never really been the type to enjoy books that aren't set in the twentieth-century and onwards because historical themed novels or anything tend to get boring and I was pleasantly surprised to not have gotten bored in any part of The Madman's Daughter. I actually felt like the London setting already gave a hint for the darkness that would come next, like a foreshadowing of sorts. I was very impressed by the way Megan Shepherd set a slow but menacing pace to the book, like that feeling you get when you are being watched, you don't know who and where that person is but you just feel the discomfort and fear. That's what it was like reading The Madman's Daughter, I knew something sinister was going to happen and I readied myself for anything but what Megan Shepherd revealed was more than what I could possibly have expected. Mind = blown. Also, Megan Shepherd gives really good suspense. I found myself furiously flipping pages and drinking everything in because I felt that if I stopped, I would lose that momentum that was growing and growing, and I just couldn't stop. I couldn't put the book down!

Megan Shepherd has a lot of amazing words. The dialogues and especially Juliet's inner thoughts and reflections really got to me. There was darkness in her words and more than a touch of madness, but they were what made them so appealing and unique. I don't even want to know what frame of thought Megan Shepherd had to put herself into to create such an authentically distraught and slightly disturbed mind but I applaud her for it. She definitely has a talent of weaving words, sentences, and pages with not just meaning but also emotion and a rawness that not a lot of authors can put into their books. Her words gripped me with sharpened claws and did not let go. I can still feel the pressure and lingering madness that Megan Shepherd's writing left behind. And she will keep you guessing, you will not be able to see the plot twists she has in store for you, trust me. I was completely caught off guard.

For a girl who was raised as an upper class citizen, Juliet Moreau definitely had a wildness to her that I know the London society won't approve of. But lucky for her, between working as a maid after her family's fall from grace and moving to her father's mysterious island, the London society had no time to judge her for any indiscretions. And yay, because she didn't care what they thought anyway so, ha! I don't know if you can already tell but I really liked Juliet, not just as a character but a human being as well. That rebellious and fierce part of Juliet gave her a spark that most characters don't have. She wasn't flamboyant when it came to her snark unlike most protagonists, she was subtle and knew when to unleash all that wit. Each move from her was very calculated but also impulsive, Juliet was definitely a walking contradiction, and I say this in the best way possible. Her unpredictableness made her all the more exciting and made her (mis)adventures even more dangerous. There were times when I felt like Juliet wasn't afraid of anything... and the thing was, she wasn't. At least, not anything completely physical, of course. I think she was more afraid of the darkness that lived inside of her, that she inherited too much of her Father's madness to be normal. However, it was also her Father's blood that gave her her intelligence and curiosity so she didn't completely lose out. The internal battle going inside her mind was very clear, that urge to drive away all that tainted blood but no matter how much a we may fight ourselves, no one ever really wins, we just give up and accept it. Kind of like Juliet, that dark part of her also helped her even if she couldn't accept it. Oh and cue crazy plot twist somewhere in the book.

Normally, I'd totally be shaming a book for having a love triangle because books tend to get extra messy when they do and the characters end up becoming annoying but I was actually pretty okay with what happened in The Madman's Daughter. I wasn't a fan of the times when Juliet would get absorbed whether she liked Montgomery or Edward more and sometimes, the romance-y parts of the book didn't fit into the scenario that was happening but generally speaking, the depth of the romance scenes gave it extra points. The chemistry and bond between Montgomery, Juliet and Edward was very interesting. I found myself conflicted as to who I wanted her to be with but after a while, I was totally Team Montgomery. It was hard to pick not just because they were both great guys but because it was hard to trust anyone in the book, I was suspicious of both of them. (You'll find out why when you read the book.) For a YA novel, there was definitely a lot of steam but not too steamy, if you know what I mean. *wink wink, nudge nudge* Just enough to keep you interested and definitely begging for more of that. Both the M/J and the E/J pairings really worked and I loved the interactions between all of them but I am still 100% Team Montgomery even after everything that happened.

To make things simple: Juliet's Father is a rat bastard. That is all.

Okay, even though Juliet's Father totally creeped me out, his creations were very interesting. I was mystified at how Megan Shepherd was really able to put detail and character into Father's creatures. Just, wow. They were disturbingly captivating, it was hard to look away. Megan Shepherd's writing will do that to you, keep you spellbound. Among all the creations, I adored Balthazar the most. Throughout the whole book, I wanted to give him the biggest hug ever. Such a sweet fellow. No matter how evil or dark the act may be, sometimes the result will be the exact opposite. Balthazar was an example of that, he was hope.

Argh, I just completely loved this book. I cannot recommend The Madman's Daughter enough, everything just went so well together. From the haunting writing, to the exhilarating scenes, you will not be able to stop yourself from falling in love with Megan Shepherd's novel. Even though I already have the next two books on hand, I'm doing my best to prolong the series end. Seriously so. Dang. Good. I can't even right now.

Rating: 4.5/5

Official blog post: http://the-soul-sisters.blogspot.com/2014/10/review-madmans-daughter-by-megan.html

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.”

Meh. Have 'em both. See if I care.

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.

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 so 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.

Oops, almost forget to mention the narration. This copy was narrated by Lucy Raynor and her voice was lovely and well suited to the material. No complaints from me.

The unhinged descent into madness is a dizzying and exhilarating process for any reader.

Graphic gore and violence descriptions may leave the faint of heart queasy.

The disillusionment of the protagonist, her torn feelings between what the heart desires and what the mind refuses to believe is something that everyone can identify with.

Mysterious plot elements evolved into startling revelations that you will IN NO WAY see coming.

Juliet's identity crisis, namely, her struggle to sift through the nostalgia for her past and the promise of the future is a psychological process that everyone should experience and may leave the reader questioning their own idea of self.

The relationship between father and daughter is heartbreaking. Juliet's inability to condemn her father because of the pride she feels for his brilliance and inherent daughter bond, don't give her the capacity to believe anything but the best of her father even when confronted with the truth.

The startling and beautiful examples of humanity within the monsters.

The doctor is a lot like Frankenstein. This is exemplified in his God complex-use of his own commandments for the monsters, the way they worship him through fear. The doctor's terrifying ability to create and bring life out of death is mystifying and it is because of how unbelievable his success is that his madness is all the more frightening.

Genuine terror. Many scenes will leave you breathless, on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and all in a good way.

Love triangle. Teasing, tantalizing kissing scenes, and passionate moments of confusion and yearning.

The sheer knowledge of anatomical, surgical, nautical, environmental, and how everything is expertly detailed is impressive in itself.

Bravery. Juliet's determination is admirable.

The exploration of temptation and the darkness within ourselves is brilliantly written and reinforces Juliet's strength of will.

CONS:
The ending.

As an avid reader, I've often found that the books ranted and raved about don't measure up and you get so sick of hearing about them that when you do read said books you're almost always disappointed. The Madman's Daughter is definitely an exception to this rule. Seriously check it out.

Juliet Moreau has lost everything: her mother and father. The rumors left behind of her fathers work have ruined her chances of living the life she was once accustomed to. Now she struggles to make ends meet as a maid. Lucy has still remained friends with Juliet even after her drop in status. Juliet is soon put in to a situation that reveals her fathers work is circulating and she wants to uncover if he is still alive.

Juliet discovers not her father but the boy she had swooned over during her childhood years, Montgomery. He is with a creature that looks almost like a man but bigger and deformed. With nothing left Juliet is determined to travel with Montgomery to the Island. On the way they discover a Edward over board and barely alive. Juliet finds herself drawn to both men and confused about her emotions.

On the island Juliet notices more disfigured people and things on the island are not as peaceful as they seem. Caught in a web of lies Juliet starts to wonder how deep her father deceit goes. Was she a victim of her fathers experiments? This book was inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells.

The Madman's Daughter took a classic and one upped it in my opinion. This book was mysterious and intriguing. I was glued and had to know what mysteries would unravel on this island of nightmares. I am so excited to continue on with Megan Shepherds gripping world in book 2. I am giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The Madman's Daughter is an extremely peculiar retelling of The Island Of Dr. Moreau. On one hand I loved it but on the other hand it infuriated me so much with that ending. Honestly I am convinced that Megan Shepherd was trying to torture the reader with that unexpectedly painful ending.

The Madman's Daughter starts with a bang and immediately immerses the reader in Juliet's strange world. From the first couple of pages, I knew that I immediately liked her from the moment she said: "Dead flesh and sharpened scalpels didn't bother me. I was my father's daughter, after all. My nightmares were made of darker things." Juliet isn't your typical YA heroine, she's has a lot more skeletons in her closet than most characters. Juliet never ceased to surprise me throughout the entire novel and she is truly a fascinating character.

Once Juliet arrived on the island, I'll admit that my attention started to waver. I just wasn't that interested in Juliet's romantic escapades with Montgomery and Edward. Don't get me wrong, the romance in this book isn't terrible but I think the author should have focused more on other things. There was too much of a focus on romance in the middle segment of this book.

Just as I thought that I was done with reading Madman's Daughter and that I should DNF, the story really picked up. From that moment on, I couldn't peel myself from this book and I just had to read more. Shepherd threw in so many plot twists that I didn't see coming and I just couldn't stop reading. All of the plot twists were things I probably should have seen coming but didn't. The plot twists were definitely brilliantly executed and compelled me to continue reading.

The ending was so unexpected that I just need to discuss it once again. Never in a billion years would I have predicted that it would end like this. I'm not even sure what the sequel will be about considering the ending and the way it was executed. I'm debating whether to call it a cliffhanger but it was still such a cruel, yet superb way to end this book. If I had any doubt in my mind about reading the sequel (which I didn't), now there's no way I'll miss out on it!

The Madman's Daughter was such a creepy, gothic delight! I can't remember the last time I read an ending that fantastic. Honestly, I don't know how I will be able to wait till January 2014 for the sequel. I haven't read The Island Of Dr. Moreau but now I desperately need to. The Madman's Daughter is one strange novel that is as compelling as it is unique.

I loved it! Seriously, this book was fabulous. It was very well written and never, ever had a "YA" feel to it. I am sure it was only YA because of Juliet's age.

I enjoyed the love triangle. There, I said it. I usually hate the "typical" love triangle, but this one was different. It was well thought out and planned. I never felt like it was eye rolling, gushy type of a love story. (Yes, a big portion of this book is romance) I never knew who I wanted to root for her to end up with. I went back and forth so many times. Well, once you reach the end...you will see why the decision was a little easier toward the end of the story. ;)

The creepiness factor was through the roof. I was so scared of Juliet's father- Dr. Moreau. He thought he was so normal, and so in control, it was scary. I felt so badly for Juliet, in that she wanted so badly to love her father and for him to be the way she remembered. All he could ever be is a monster. It was all just deliciously creepy. Did I mention this book was creepy?

I found Juliet to be a very relatable character. I could feel what she was feeling at times. She also was not a wimpy heroine. I wouldn't say she was "kick ass," but she was by no means a wimp. She got stuff done when it needed to be done...and even snapped when she reached her breaking point.

I can't wait to read book number two!

Brace yourself and turn on the lights. The Madman's Daughter couldn't have been any better. Every aspect of this novel worked together, magnificently complimenting anything and everything it touched. The characters and story were perfect for the setting and the setting was perfect for the characters and the story.

I know H.G. Well's, The Island of Dr. Moreau, is the inspiration for this novel but one of my first thoughts about this book was basically, "I wish Frankenstein had been like this." Now, understand, I haven't actually finished Frankenstein and it isn't that I want Shelley's story and plot to change so much as The Madman's Daughter had the atmosphere I craved for while reading Frankenstein. I see the atmosphere Shepherd created and her perfect use of setting, science, and character, and I can't help but think that she used everything to its highest potential when Shelley didn't. I may feel differently after finishing Frankenstein, but for now I feel like Miss Shepherd did what Shelley either couldn't or wouldn't.

I do honestly believe that there might be something psychologically wrong with Dr. Moreau that he passed down to Juliet. The dude was just plain evil but neither of them seem quite right in the head. I have no idea how Miss Shepherd managed to show both the madness and the genius equally well every time he entered a scene.

With everything that was going on, the jungle setting added a lot of creep to the creep factor. Even the safety of the compound felt fake though. No locks anywhere? Not okay. And Even though the deformed islanders weren't a concern most of the time, they still added just the right amount of innocent danger, if you will. (You'll probably understand that after you read the book - any explanation on my part will include spoilers.)

There were a few things I saw coming but I'd consider them to be relatively minor. The most important events and plotlines were kept under wraps until the very end.

The romance was different. I still can't honestly say who I prefer, Montgomery or Edward. Both of them had something to offer Juliet. They offered different things but they both had their own virtues and detriments. Edward and Montgomery were both appealing characters in their own respects and I will miss them both.

Juliet herself was the perfect narrator. She's sane but at the same time, she's fighting the madness within. But where her father didn't retrain himself, Juliet has a self-control that keeps her in check. She reals herself back every time she starts walking towards the brink of madness.

As for the ending, I was enjoying the ride right alongside Juliet. It left me wordless. At that point, anything could happen. Juliet could be intercepted. Then again, maybe she wouldn't be. Then Montgomery did his thing and I was like, "No!" I think I actually said it aloud.

I really hope I did the book justice because The Madman's Daughter is a modern masterpiece.

Brace yourself and turn on the lights. The Madman's Daughter couldn't have been any better. Every aspect of this novel worked together, magnificently complimenting anything and everything it touched. The characters and story were perfect for the setting and the setting was perfect for the characters and the story.

I know H.G. Well's, The Island of Dr. Moreau, is the inspiration for this novel but one of my first thoughts about this book was basically, "I wish Frankenstein had been like this." Now, understand, I haven't actually finished Frankenstein and it isn't that I want Shelley's story and plot to change so much as The Madman's Daughter had the atmosphere I craved for while reading Frankenstein. I see the atmosphere Shepherd created and her perfect use of setting, science, and character, and I can't help but think that she used everything to its highest potential when Shelley didn't. I may feel differently after finishing Frankenstein, but for now I feel like Miss Shepherd did what Shelley either couldn't or wouldn't.

I do honestly believe that there might be something psychologically wrong with Dr. Moreau that he passed down to Juliet. The dude was just plain evil but neither of them seem quite right in the head. I have no idea how Miss Shepherd managed to show both the madness and the genius equally well every time he entered a scene.

With everything that was going on, the jungle setting added a lot of creep to the creep factor. Even the safety of the compound felt fake though. No locks anywhere? Not okay. And Even though the deformed islanders weren't a concern most of the time, they still added just the right amount of innocent danger, if you will. (You'll probably understand that after you read the book - any explanation on my part will include spoilers.)

There were a few things I saw coming but I'd consider them to be relatively minor. The most important events and plotlines were kept under wraps until the very end.

The romance was different. I still can't honestly say who I prefer, Montgomery or Edward. Both of them had something to offer Juliet. They offered different things but they both had their own virtues and detriments. Edward and Montgomery were both appealing characters in their own respects and I will miss them both.

Juliet herself was the perfect narrator. She's sane but at the same time, she's fighting the madness within. But where her father didn't retrain himself, Juliet has a self-control that keeps her in check. She reals herself back every time she starts walking towards the brink of madness.

As for the ending, I was enjoying the ride right alongside Juliet. It left me wordless. At that point, anything could happen. Juliet could be intercepted. Then again, maybe she wouldn't be. Then Montgomery did his thing and I was like, "No!" I think I actually said it aloud.

I really hope I did the book justice because The Madman's Daughter is a modern masterpiece.

The writing was lighter than I'd have expected of a Gothic novel. I was hoping for more darkness and exploration of the horrors on the island. It's okay that it doesn't go into substantial detail of the islanders; however, the details that are given are poorly organized in context, and they aren't ones that evoked horror within me. I know that the islanders should creep me out, but they just seemed like harmless creatures with some disfigurement. The same goes for the beast. So much suspense is supposed to be going on with the beast on the loose, but the plot is so unfocused and Juliet is kept so out of the loop that it didn't wasn't scary. It would have been nice to see Juliet investigate more on her own to help focus and further the plot. She's so powerless on the island that the addition of another perspective or two could also have helped flesh out the story.

The characters are flat and poorly developed. For the most part, Juliet is a likable character. She knows that her intelligence and curiosity makes her different from other girls, but she doesn't reject it. Still, she doesn't really grow as a character over the course of the novel; the largest change is her final acceptance about her father and who she is. However, the progression of her thoughts and feelings aren't really shown. More internal dialogue may have helped develop her character better, such as showing when she first suspects that her father may have done more than a simple surgery to correct her spine when she was an infant.

There isn't much substance to the guys other than an attractive face and a desire to protect Juliet, and her father is so wrapped up in his research he doesn't care about anyone unless they have a use for him. The romance was poorly done. While some of the scenes get a little swoony, there doesn't really seem to be a point to the kissing except the guys trying to claim Juliet. I'm getting a little tired of guys kissing girls without asking for their permission or bothering to check that there is more than a shared sexual attraction between them. The most intriguing development is learning about the secrets that Edward carries.

The premise to the story is interesting, but it could have been better executed. The Madman's Daughter doesn't have the power to stand alone as a novel. The plot is weak and the characters don't show any growth. It feels more like it's setting the stage for something greater to take place. Nevertheless, I am curious as to where the series will progress and will give the next book a try.

I have a weakness for classics remade by a modern author. I have thoroughly loved reading books that take their inspiration from great stories and authors, and The Madman's Daughter does this beautifully by taking H.G. Wells's story The Island of Dr. Moreau, and putting a new, fresh spin on it. At times gruesome, other times horrifying, and sometimes spine-chillingly terrifying, Shepherd manages to still capture the attention of this skittish reader and I found myself reading until nearly 5am just to figure out what happens.

While I've had some experience with Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau has never been high on my list to read. It is now. And it is for that reason (and I'm sure many others have now put the book on their to-read radar) that I am grateful to re-explored classics. I finished reading The Madman's Daughter and I felt compelled to pick up the next book. I had to have it - now. Thankfully, I managed to get my hands on an advanced copy or... seriously, there's no telling what would have happened.

I had seen some buzz about The Madman's Daughter late last year and it had always been my intention to check it out but what made me ultimately take the leap is the gorgeous cover. The book was sitting on the shelf at my library and I had to read it now. I picked it up, brought it home, and cracked it open without regard for my scheduled readings. I wasn't disappointed.

The Madman's Daughter is the story of a girl who was once the daughter of a prominent surgeon but now struggles to make ends meet after her father was labeled a madman. She believes him dead - and now, she's on her own as her mother has also passed away. She struggles with what you can imagine young girls struggle with: the unwanted attentions of older men, the decision of how to make a life for herself, and the curiosity and desire to know what exactly was going on under her own childhood roof. Then, one day she stumbles into an old friend/servant and her life changes. But does it change for the better?

Imagine taking a leap of faith and sailing to an unknown island in the company of someone that you haven't seen in years. Imagine being completely surrounded by lies and half-truths and trying to figure out just what it all means. That's what was captured in The Madman's Daughter and why it was so riveting to me. But that's not to say that it was perfect. I felt as if the ending stretched a little too much. That's saying something when talking about science fiction, but it still has to remain somewhat believable. I found myself wincing a bit, but willing myself to just accept it because I was having too much fun to think too hard about the faults of what I was reading. And, ultimately, that's the most important thing: to create a story that even the things that normally bug readers can't detract from.

I highly recommend The Madman's Daughter to those who are looking to veer away from the zombie apocalypse novel-types and are looking for something a bit different with the same sort of feel. I think this book would appeal to a wide range of readers and, if nothing else, will catapult a new generation of kids into reading one of the greats: H.G. Wells.

Would I Buy It? While I immensely enjoyed The Madman's Daughter, I wasn't head-over-heels in love, and probably couldn't justify buying it unless it was in hardcover and I got it for a bargain price.

Reaction After Finishing Gaaah! Why did I read all of this to end up with this thing? (My finishing reactions are oh so eloquent) There was so much build-up for the end of the book, and I kind of think it was almost the cheaters way out. While I didn't guess it, it was also kind of predictable.

Genre????? What I would like to ask to anybody who has ever read this novel is, "How the heck do you contain ALL that this book is into a neat little genre?" If you look at what I listed for the genres, as well as what other Goodreads users have said, we have categorized The Madman's Daughter as "Historical Fiction," "Science Fiction," "Horror," "Fantasy,""Mystery," and "Romance." If you didn't know, those are A LOT of genres, and even books with weird premises and complex premises don't normally have THAT many genres.

Mystery and Horror? So, I haven't read much horror, and I'm not the biggest "blood and gore" kind of girl. Nevertheless, I agree that this book should be categorized as horror, not because of ghosts, goblins, or other supernatural creatures.... but because of how horrifying it was at times. The synopsis The Madman's Daughter purposefully does not goes into detail about the various creatures and creations Juliet's father has brewed up in his laboratory.

In the beginning of the book, we find out that Juliet and her now deceased mother had been cast off by society because of a scandal surrounding her once revered father for "butchering." *Haymitch Abernathy voice* Butchering doesn't even cover the half of it sweethearts. If you have a squeemish stomach, or strong ethics when it comes to animal cruelty, The Madman's Daughter is SO not for you.

I'm not even going to try to get into what Juliet's father does. The gist of it is that he is a mad man who is trying to create the perfect human (and of course, has a tragic backstory about how humanity is cynical and jaded), and operates on animals so they look, think, act, and speak like humans, but still retain animal-like innocence. This (of course) backfires, which is what drives a lot of the plot.

Ughhh, an Annoying Love Triangle *flips hair* The love triangle and the annoying characters nearly ruined this novel for me and is what took off that star. The best comparison I can make is to the Selection Trilogy. Juliet is like America Singer. Montgomery is like Aspen. Edward is like Maxon. I can tolerate A LOT from love triangles. In fact, I even like them when they add a kick to the story (Shatter Me), but I cannot stand them when the narrator is indecisive and can't make up her mind. Also, it's one thing when I concretely know who I want the girl to end up with (Shatter Me), it's another when I'm torn between them (Legend), and it is a whole other freaking ball game where I don't give a crap who she ends up with as long as she chooses one and stays with her decision. At one point, on page 309, I even said in my Goodreads Updates, "This is getting a bit ridiculous." I feel that I didn't get to know the characters enough to care or sympathize with them, and so many of their actions/dialogue seemed like cardboard, like something from a Disney Channel sitcom.

Juliet COMPLETELY flipped out when she thought for one sliver of a moment that her relationship with Montgomery was threatened by a girl who A. was 5 years younger than him B. more of a little sister/family for reasons later unveiled C. not in the slightest bit competition.

While the love triangle added to the story, it seemed a lot more like a plot device than something added for the reader's enjoyment. I love a little romance, but it would have made the story a lot shorter and faster if almost all of the love triangle was cut out. The characters, however were necessary for certain "OMG" moments and turns in the plot.

Every time Juliet changed her mind like a girl changes clothes (she did both quite frequently)
Historical, Scientifical, and Fantastical.... Four words: Mad Scientist In London.

When you categorize a book as "Science Fiction," you automatically think of books set in the future with some crazy thing that has happened/gone wrong in society because of science. Yet that isn't the case, there can be scientific aspects in a story, that are just a wee bit too much to fathom, which is what turns the story into fiction. The work that Juliet's father does is drawn from basic scientific principles, but (I'm pretty sure) they can't happen/wouldn't actually work.

When you categorize a book as "Fantasy" all you are saying is that it is an idea removed from normal reality [thank you Merriam Webster]. This particular definition is synonymous to the word "fiction," so fantasy can technically just refer to something unrealistic, such as the different creatures Juliet's father (he was never given a name) had created which is what adds the larger-than-life fantastical element to it.

When you categorize a book as "Historical," you're simply stating that it took place in the past. And of course, whenever you think of London in a novel, the story always takes place a long time ago sometime before the 1950s. I mean, a novel set in present day London? Hogwash! Unless you're reading The Kane Chronicles with Sadie Kane. Anyways, it doesn't state the exact time or year The Madman's Daughter it takes place in, but it seems to take place during the turn of the century at the very beginning of the industrial revolution, and before women were regarded as nothing other than delicate creatures made to play instruments, do needlepoint, and make babies.

What happens when all three genres are tossed into the Nutri-Bullet blender of awesomeness?

A Gothic Thriller.

Now, I had never heard of this specific genre before, but that is exactly what The Madman's Daughter was. "relating to a style of writing that describes strange or frightening events that take place in mysterious places" BAM! That is exactly what this book is. I mean, the Webster dictionary couldn't have described it better. The strange and frightening experiments taking place on the mysterious island. What else can you say about it?

Thriller means "work of fiction designed to hold the interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense" and The Madman's Daughter was definitely that. I read some reviews that said it was slow paced, and I honestly haven't got a clue what those people are talking about. The feels were being stimulated nearly every moment of the novel, and in reality television like format, revelation, after exclamation, after explanation unfolded around me. It was as if a ball of yarn had been tangled, and every section that was untangled was a new and exciting part of the story.

Quotes 7.75/10:

"Not handsome in the classic way like Montgomery, but more subtle, deeper, as if his true handsomeness lay in a story behind those bruises and the crumpled photograph. Something to be discovered, slowly, if one was clever enough to decipher it." --- 91

This phrase is how Juliet describes Edward to us in the beginning. And am I the only one who thought "and you're going to make darn well sure that you're going to be the one to decipher his story." Even in you haven't read the book? Do you feel it was her dying wish to uncover the mysteries behind Edward? *spoiler alert* She did.

"The interior doors have a safeguard. Only five-fingers can open them." --- 126 Juliet's Father

And for those of you who haven't read the book, "How well do you think that worked out for everybody?"

"Thous shalt not drink spirits! Thous shalt not eat flesh of living creatures! Thous shalt not roam at night! Thus shalt not kill other men! This is the word of your god!"

This is the list of commandments that Juliet's father created in order to keep his creations in check and tame. Let's just say that when regression (aka when everything goes to hell) happens, his creations don't obey them.

Conclusion: The Madman's Daughter was a breath of fresh air, and in a genre I haven't picked up before. Despite annoying characters and romance, the premise of the book was horrific and intriguing with non-stop action, and shocking turns of events. This book will challenge your sense of right and wrong and will leave you one burning question, "What does it mean to be human?"

If you have read the book.... I want to know what your opinions were, if you loved it or hated it.
Were you shocked at the ending?
Who do you ship with Juliet?
Has your point of view on human versus animal changed?

If you haven't read the book.... Do you now want to, even though the love triangle annoyed me to no end?
Have you ever read a Gothic Thriller, or anything like it?
What do you think of the premise? Are you immediately repulsed, or intrigued?

4.5 stars

A deliciously dark, twisted read, The Madman's Daughter is one of those books that's part intriguing, part utterly insane, and the other part hard to put down. There's something to be said about an author who can creature a world that's just as fascinating as it is repulsive. After all, when you're dealing with a madman, his daughter, a twisted romance, and uninhabitable island where the impossible exists, you'd find it hard to put this book down as well. I won't lie, this book has some a lot of dark undertones in it, but what true Gothic thriller doesn't. Part of what lured me into this book was the setting, the wanting to know what the heck was going on, and Megan's incredible writing.

Let's talk about the writing for a moment, since Megan's writing is what sold me on this brilliantly written debut. Megan's writing is beautiful, descriptive, and full of life. It literally got my attention the moment I started reading the book, and held it till the end. You know there are books you read, and you feel like you're just reading words, and then there are books who's words breathe life into the book you're reading. The later is what Megan's writing is like. She could have written about anything and I could have found myself hooked with her poetic words. Normally it's the characters that bring a book to life for me, but Megan's writing is what did me over with this book. I posted a sample of her writing in my previous post, which features some of my favorite quotes from the book. The romantic scenes made me swoon, the dark twists repulsed me as much as they fascinated me and the twists shocked me. Who needs to read a ghost story to give them the creeps, when you could read this book!? *shudders*

One of the things I enjoyed about The Madman's Daughter is Juliet herself. Set during a time when women are proper and the mention of a leg or a touch of the wrist was improper, I found Juliet to be this independent, strong, individual thinker who didn't allow society to change who she was. Ironically her society once embraced her and her high standing family, but once news of her father's insane medical practices borderlined something evil, she was all about outed by her society. Juliet's fierce determination, strong personality, and her courage to do what is right is what I felt kept her alive and made her a survivor whether it was on the streets of London or while on the Island she finds herself on with her madman of a father and his twisted experiments. Can I just say as much as I was horrified at the descriptive nature of what her father was doing, I was also intrigued by it as well. It really does take a madman to experiment on humans and animals and combine the two to create creatures that defy nature. Juliet's concerns, and questioning what was going was beyond justified. I felt she acted in away any sane person would. She challenged her father, she challenged those around her to really think about what was going on.

Doesn't a tropical island sound romantic? This island unfortunately is far from it. It harbors a lot of dark, disturbing things, but if you're Juliet than yes, this island does have it's romantic moments. Especially if you're trapped there with two hunky gentleman, one you grew up and the other you found a drift at sea while on your long voyage to the middle of no where. Yeah, poor Juliet had to deal with two Victorian era men who both wanted to claim her heart, one her father's assistant Montgomery and the other Edward, the gentlemen they saved who had been drifting at sea for days. Don't worry, this is not a love triangle. This romance is evident right off the bat on who has Juliet's heart, though I liked that options were explored. It made perfect sense, especially given that guys have a few twisted, dark secrets they're keeping from Juliet. There's the right amount of stolen moments, heart break, and well that sweet love that made it hard for me to choose which guy I wanted Juliet to pick.

The Madman's Daughter is an excellent first book in a trilogy that's sure to be a huge hit. It's definitely set a high bar for what's to come, and I'm looking forward to seeing what's in store for the characters I've read about. Given that ending I'm dying to know what's going to happen next.

"The Madman's Daughter" is one novel that has unexpected twists and startling revelations throughout. Megan Shepherd has taken H. G. Wells "The Island of Dr. Moreau" and added a very human element in the form of Henri Moreau's daughter, Juliet. Coupled with the plot Shepherd develops, this creates a compelling novel which should appeal to a broad range of readers.

At the onset of "The Madman's Daughter", one is tempted to believe the novel is a standard Victorian-era romance. Juliet Moreau, the daughter of the infamous Dr. Henri Moreau, is living in poverty. Following Dr. Moreau's banishment from the London medical community, Juliet's mother has died. Juliet is reduced to employment as a maid at the medical school where her father once taught. After fending off the amorous, unwelcomed advances of one of her father's former colleagues, she is forced to flee London. A chance meeting with Montgomery, a young man who was formerly employed in the Moreau household, leads Juliet to the island where Dr. Moreau is continuing his work. It is at this point that the reader begins to realize "The Madman's Daughter" is no romance, but rather a suspense novel filled with mystery and astonishing revelations.

Megan Shepherd is able to maintain suspense throughout "The Madman's Daughter" as she gradually reveals Dr. Moreau's gruesome, inhumane activities and his psychological abnormalities. Juliet and Montgomery exhibit sharply contrasting attitudes and actions when compared to Moreau. Their compassion and empathy for the creatures Moreau has created, and the choices each must make provide moral balance to the novel. Personalities of all the characters are well developed and enhance the narrative elements which propel the action forward.

"The Madman's Daughter" is an excellent novel and one which will surprise you with its plot twists. 5 stars!

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome of this book. I wished that I had read the original book by H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau, I did, however, watch the movie staring Val Kilmer, but it was such a long time ago, that I don’t remember much of it.

The characters of the book, you either loved them, hated them or just flat out didn’t trust them. I immediately disliked Dr. Moreau, he was rude, arrogant and had no emotional attachment to his own daughter, Juliet. He treated her like she was a nuisance. Always trying to order her around and assuming his fatherly role after years of being MIA.

Montgomery wasn’t quite a gentleman, but he still had that air about him. You immediately like him right off, he seems very up front, even though he does hide what Juliet’s father does. But he does everything because he deeply cares. Whereas Edward, on the other hand, just seems sneaky right off the bat. I never did trust him. He seemed to always be hiding something and wasn’t always honest.

I did like Juliet’s character. She always seemed to be optimistic. Always giving the benefit of the doubt, even when she shouldn’t. She was tough, only because she had to become that way after her father’s crimes. She could take care of herself but always wanted someone there for her. She took a lot of crap from her father’s crimes and then from her father once she reached the island, but yet, never gave up. I admire her for that.

The story was fascinating. I was really not expecting the ending and who the “culprit” was. I actually shed a tear or two with the ending because it was very unexpected. So I’m hoping that I can get some resolve in the next book.

The Madman’s Daughter offered me something I don’t quite see often in YA lit and that’s a gothic style. Having never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, though now I definitely want to, I eagerly jumped into this one hoping to find something new.

I really enjoyed Megan Shepard’s writing style. It’s dark, gritty, and moody; you can tell this is a gothic style novel within the first page and really loved the over dark and dank nature of the tale. I also loved the details and descriptions which Shepard beautiful carves with each word. It does have a bit of slow start and build up towards the beginning but once on the island it becomes really addictive. I’ve heard several people say that it’s not that different from the original and perhaps they are right, if so I’m glad I got to this one first. There were times when the cloudy creepy nature of this book amped up that I almost didn’t want to know the answers.

Juliet is an interesting MC because while there is plenty of opportunity for her to be a typical Mary-Sue caught in the middle of something terrible she isn’t. She reacts to it, she fights back, she enjoys it and she hates it. Gothic novels tend to play with the fringes of sanity and this is no different, causing most of the characters to question if they’ve stepped over the blurry line. There is a sort of love triangle…which to be more specific it’s a love isosceles. Two sides of this triangle are very much the same but there is that one off feeling option that never quite settles right. I don’t know if the romances were quite successful but they were necessary in terms of plot.

No character is perfect in this, as event the best of the island dwellers keeps terrible secrets. Juliet’s father was incredibly horrible. He could barely manage to act the part of a father and the things he was guilty of when he was away from her are just horrific.

I’d definitely say that The Madman’s Daughter is a promising start for a gothic series. Despite the slow beginning and the kind of frustrating final page, I’m really looking forward to continuing this series.

First reaction after finishing the book:

IM SPEECHLESS.

_______________________________________________________________________

*WARNING* I wouldn't recommend reading this book late at night just before you go to bed - you may just get nightmares.
This book was dark, creepy and AMAZING.
It is full of twists and turns that will leave you stunned.

Specimens. Experiments. Nightmares

These are what Juliet Moreau faces when she comes back to the island her father has been carrying out his hideous work on. Having no choice but to leave London with his assistant and former servant Montgomery, she embarks on a journey that will change her life forever. On the water, they find a castaway; Edward Prince, who holds darker secrets than anyone would have suspected. Juliet desperately wants to see her father as a changed person, but instead is faced with nothing more than a madman who had crossed the line between what was and wasn't human. In time even she begins to wonder if she herself possessed some of the same madness that had consumed him. Perhaps...she was just another experiment to him, like everyone else on the island.

I'll be working in the laboratory late tonight. I've a good start on the specimens. Don't be alarmed of you're awoken. The animals - they scream you know. An unfortunate effect of the vivisection.

This novel is memorable and darkly atmospheric, with a premise that didn't fail to deliver. Reading this was a thrilling ride and I didn't want to stop. The idea of melding animals together through surgery while they were still alive was horrific enough. But to find that these same animals could also be made into human-like forms was even scarier. This concept made The Madman's Daughter a story that I will never forget. Megan Shepherd has created something special in this novel - something unique and brooding that compels the reader to keep turning pages and become completely immersed in what was happening. On more than one occasion I found myself re-reading sentences and taking a few seconds for a fact to set in. The sheer amount of uncertainty of where the novel was going was enough to have me hooked.

*The love triangle*

"He'd hinted at his interest, but how could he expect me to think about such things at a time like this, when I'd just met my father after years apart? And there was Montgomery to consider, and that near kiss, and Edward didn't even begin to know me. If he knew some of the things I had done, the dark things I sometimes thought, he'd change his mind",

I know many readers cringe at the mention of this phrase, but in this instance it didn't bother me at all. In fact - it heightened the drama of the story and added to its success. Between Juliet, Montgomery and Edward there was certainly a lot going on - more than what at first meets the eye in fact. This novel, if anything will teach you to never expect or suspect anything, as things could turn onto a different course in an instant. I won't tell whether a relationship with either of these men eventuated, or if one even did at all. I suppose we will have to be in suspense with that one until the next book in the series is released - WHICH I CAN'T WAIT FOR!

* THE CLIFFHANGER *

Well, well, well. What a finish! Another twist, another turn, another something unexpected. After finishing this you will definitely be hungry for more.

In conclusion, The Madman's Daughter was a stunning read from Megan Shepherd. She has definitely made a firm mark on the YA genre with this haunting novel that will leave your head spinning long after you've read the last page.

Simply put, The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd is an eerie, bold, and captivating piece inspired by the classic The Island of Dr. Moreau. The intriguing premise unfolds into this beautiful and addicting story with strong characters, shocking twists, and a romantic love triangle in a frightening and dark world.

Summary:

16-year-old Juliet Moreau lived a comfortable life in her family's mansion on Belgrave Square. But after her father's scandal and banishment from London, she struggles to make ends meet and works as a cleaning maid at King's College. Upon a surprise reunion with her former servant Montgomery James, Juliet travels to a remote island to search for her father, Dr. Henri Moreau, who was once a famous surgeon and physiologist in England. Soon, she learns the horrifying truth behind crazy rumors about her father's experiments and is also torn between her feelings for Montgomery and Edward Prince, a charming yet mysterious castaway.

My Thoughts:

The book starts off in an intense and fast pace. It was creepy but interesting. I think Shepherd did a great job at building a Gothic Victorian setting, and she was able to capture the essence of the scary and spooky island. The story was very enthralling for the majority of the storyline, with a slightly boring and uneventful transition that leads to some surprising revelations and discoveries at the end.

It was so fun to read about these characters, especially for Juliet, who is a strong and dynamic heroine. She was somewhat irritating and doubtful when it comes to her romantic dilemma between Montgomery and Edward, but she is still a very likable and awesome protagonist. She is also extremely intelligent and smart, a rare quality that is not quite common among YA female characters.

The love triangle was probably my least favorite thing about this book, and I was happy to find that it isn't a dominate theme in the story. What I did really liked was the mad doctor. It's a very well written, complicated, and provocative character. Unlike most villains, Juliet's exiled father is actually quite sophisticated and perplexing yet also cruel and ruthless at the same time. Combined with the dark and mysterious island setting, Shepherd was able to add an alluring but chilling vibe to the entire story.

Half way through the book, I knew that this was going to be amazing, but the unpredictable twists at the end are just brilliant and well crafted. There are some gruesome scenes in the story, but for those who can stomach these, this is a truly incredible book.

I've had a great fondness for Gothic romance/suspense since I first read JANE EYRE as a sixth grader. So I thought the start of a new series for teens based on THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU, a classic science fiction/fantasy novel by H.G. Welles would be much to my liking. Many promising ingredients for an entertaining novel are in place within the book. Like all Gothic romances THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER has a lovely innocent heroine (the damsel in distress) who is faced with mysterious and threatening circumstances. In this case the damsel is Juliet, Moreau's daughter, who is first abandoned and humiliated by her father, soon after orphaned by her mother's death, then forced to work as a cleaner in a medical school where she has to fight off the unwanted advances of an older man and later reunited with the obsessed and mysterious Dr. Moreau on his island full of strange creatures and bizarre experiments. Juliet has two potential love interests on this island far from civilization. One is the enigmatic Edward a shipwreck survivor and the other her father's assistant and the son of a former servant the handsome Montgomery. Madness, secrets and mystery abound throughout the plot. Strangely enough with all these elements this book somehow manages to be boring. And animal lovers beware there is a lot of talk about and even descriptions of vivisection (dissecting live animals) so it is not for the squeamish. Apparently this is the first of a series with three volumes and I will be skipping the following two.

I was interested in reading author Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter after I finished with the indie horror game Mad Father. I read that the book was as dark and disturbing as Mad Father and that fans of the game would fall in love with The Madman's Daughter. So naturally I had to start reading The Madman's Daughter and I wish with every fibre in my being that I had gotten to read the novel earlier! It was fantastic! Brilliant! Definitely one of my favorite reads of all time.

The Madman's Daughter is inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau and follows sixteen year old Juliet Moreau who has been living in London and working as a maid ever since her mother died and her father disappeared. There are dark rumors surrounding her father involving his experiments that were gruesome and may or may not have involved butchery. It's not until Juliet comes across a piece of paper with her father's name literally right on it that she comes across Montgomery, her childhood friend and ex-servant, that she discovers her father is still alive.

Going with Montgomery all the way to an island off of Australia along with a castaway named Edward, Juliet finds herself on an island where her father has declared himself God and has created the island's inhabitants by experimenting on animals to turn them into disfigured creatures that are made to look like (and act like) humans. Juliet is both disgusted and intrigued by what her father has done but he knows that in the end she must stop her father for what he's doing is wrong and against everything he should believe in. Trapped on the island, Juliet learns that there is a dangerous monster lurking in the forest that is killing off the inhabitants and that Montgomery and her father may be keeping secrets that will change her forever.

The first thing I noticed about The Madman's Daughter that made me fall in love with it was the writing style. Right off the hop from the first four pages I got a feel for just how dark the novel would be. Shepherd's writing brought everything to life. I could see the foliage on the island, I could see just how disfigured the island's inhabitants were. I could imagine the scent of London and the feel of Juliet injecting herself with her needle every day. Her writing was out of this world and detailed to the point where everything just played out for me like a movie. I absolutely adored it.

The Madman's Daughter does have a love triangle between Edward, Juliet and Montgomery. Personally I really enjoyed it because it wasn't the main focus and it wasn't something that was being shoved down your throat. Readers will actually be able to enjoy this love triangle. Just as Juliet discovers more about the island, herself and the secrets clouding both Edward and Montgomery's readers will be cheering on one romance more than the other. What I really liked was that the romance in the novel didn't overpower the actual plot which focuses on Juliet, the island and her father's evil genius.

The plot is one that kept me guessing until the very end. I was so in love with everything that happened to Juliet and everything that she learned while on the island. From when the novel starts and she is saved from Dr. Hastings to the ending that left me screaming (literally screaming)--I was absolutely in love with this read. I cannot wait for the sequel and for those of you who have read this novel you know that with that ending anybody would want to know what happens next to Juliet.

I would recommend The Madman's Daughter to readers who are looking for a novel that will keep them reading until the very last page, fans of romance and readers who want a novel with an ending so unexpected and crazy that they'll be left begging for a sequel.

My girlfriend read this book and here is what she had to say:

I expected this book to be interesting, given that it's based on the gothic thriller The Island of Dr Moreau. I did not expect it to be this good. Written for an intelligent audience, but with enough action to keep from being entirely cerebral, it's an imaginative ride through horror, mystery, love, and the voyage of self-identity.

Juliet is a well-fleshed protagonist, and another example of a great female character role model. She has hope in her, but also darkness, and she fights for her morality and sanity the way that a proper woman should. Unlike some historical fictions, Juliet is believable and yet modern- she's a strong and stubborn female whose knowledge of biology exceeds society's expectation (and there is plausible explanation for that), but she also views the world through the lens that Victorian women would. In other words, the character is relatable and the world is believably Victorian, not modernized for the ease of viewers.

The narrative doesn't shy away from difficult subjects, and although it's vividly described (and some might say gruesome), it isn't gratuitous. Megan Shepherd has landed herself on my favorite authors list with this novel. And did I mention the hundred plot twists and surprises that weave the narrative seamlessly? I read it, cover to cover, in three days.

I highly recommend this book for lovers of classic gothic stories, strong female protagonists, well-executed historical fiction, fans of science and the classic themes of science fiction, and those who enjoy believable romances and surprises.

What a story! This book was heavily recommended to me by my bookish friends. I'm really glad I did listen to their advice because I'm not sure if I would've picked it up of my own accord.

Juliet is the daughter of Dr. Moreau. Her father was labelled a madman and subsequently disappeared; presumed dead. Juliet's life pretty much shattered after that. Her family were labeled as outcasts and no one took her in. After her mother died, Juliet got a job at King's College in the laboratory. But, she was hounded by filthy perverted doctor/professors. A piece of paper that is familiar to Juliet as being her Fathers' leads her to a room in an inn where she finds Montgomery, her family's old servant.

Montgomery is terribly handsome and Juliet had a childhood crush on him. She finds him acting like a gentlemen and also finds her father's watch in his room. She quickly deduces her father is alive and forces Montgomery to come clean about her fathers whereabouts. He reveals he is Dr. Moreau's assistant and they live and work on a deserted island. Juliet then loses her job because a pervert surgeon tries to rape her and she cuts his tendons and narrowly escapes. Her only option is the streets or going to the island to reunite with her father.

At first everything is sort of nice for Juliet on the island. And now she has two boys pining after her. Edward was shipwrecked and he's a cutie who is crushing on Juliet. Juliet's father still works in his laboratory nonstop and is clearly keeping secrets about his experiments to Juliet.

The plot moves quickly and I was always interested in the story trying to guess what would happen next. I was surprised numerous times but ultimately satisfied with the way the story went. Until the end.

The only reason I am giving this 3.5 instead of 4 stars is the ending. It's horrible! I don't mind cliffhangers, it's just that this cliffhanger didn't feel right. It felt like it ended like that to entice people to read the sequel. Of course, I will definitely be reading the sequel, and I'm super glad it's being released soon. This is definitely a series I will be staunchly following. I can't wait to see how Juliet will fare!

I recommend this book for lovers of gothic fantasy with a hint of mystery too.

My Thoughts:

"In the darkest places, even love is deadly."

I freaking LOVED this book!

The Madman's Daughter is a tragic, haunting, scary, nail-biting Gothic tale of a girl's father's descent into madness and her own struggle against following in his footsteps.

This story is a retelling of sorts of The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. It's set in the late 1800's and there is a definite historical feel to the writing. It's about a girl named Juliet Moreau. Her father disappeared when she was 10 due to a scandal involving his experiments. People say he was creating abominations. That he was creating monsters. Juliet's mother has since died, and she has been living as a poor maid, trying to get by, ignore the rumors about her father and escape the unwanted advances of men. She goes in search of her father and ends up on a secluded island where she hopes to discover the truth about the experiments her father has been accused of.

And discover them she does! The thing is...Juliet has a lot of dark feelings herself. Part of her doesn't believe what her father is doing is completely wrong. Which makes her think that she will end up just like him. Speaking of Juliet's father, he is dark and crazy and scary. He is obsessed with his work to the point of madness.

AND SO MUCH MORE HAPPENS.

There is a definite mysterious, haunting air throughout this story which made it that much more exciting. There is a bit of a love triangle, which became a little annoying at times with the back and forth, but the story was so engrossing I was able to easily ignore it. There were twists and turns and things happened that I never could have guessed. The writing and pacing was spot-on and THE ENDING!! OH MY GAH! It was a big giant cliff hanger! AND I NEED the next book NOW! All the characters were interesting, even the non-human ones.
I don't want to get into too much detail about the actual story because I'm glad I didn't know much about it before reading it. It just added more excitement to the experience.

Bottom Line: Basically, this book is wonderfully mad, I couldn't put it down and was left guessing until the very end. 4.5/5

I originally borrowed this book from the library, but will DEF be buying my own copy!

I have very mixed feeling about this novel. Juliet Moreau, the main character, seems to end up in an even worse situation at the end of the story than she was in at the beginning. This story is supposed to be inspired by the H. G. Wells' story The Island of Dr. Moreau which I have never read. The setting in Victorian England and an isolated island off the coast of Australia. I thought the world building was well done as the story just drips Gothic darkness.

However, I did have some problems with the science fiction aspects of the story and the timeline. When Juliet reaches her father's isolated island, he has populated it with his experiments, but according to Juliet's age when he left England and her age when she reached his island, only six years have passed. Even insane dedication, which Dr. Moreau clearly possesses, would find it hard to accomplish what he is supposed to have accomplished. The descriptions of the surgical reconstruction of animals to make them more man-like and the combinations of species and the injections to change the brain move this well out of science fiction and into fantasy.

Juliet has a lot to deal with in this novel. Since her father's abandonment and the scandal that accompanied it and since her mother's death, her situation in London is dire. She is working as a cleaning maid in the medical school and being harassed by one of her father's former colleagues. When she sees one of her father's anatomical drawings and learns that one of the medical students bought it from a guy, Juliet begins to think that her father has returned to London. When she investigates she meets Montgomery who was a servant boy and who was Juliet's childhood companion. She convinces him to take her to her father when he returns.

They pick up a shipwreck survivor during their sea voyage and bring him to the island too. This is the basis for the required young adult love triangle. Juliet loves Montgomery who feels unworthy of her regard and her father is pushing the shipwreck survivor, Edward Prince, at her due to his supposedly higher social status.

Conditions on the island quickly devolve as Dr. Moreau's creatures are getting out of control and some unexplained murders are taking place. All the while, Dr. Moreau is still in his own dream world where everything is all right and he is still focused on his experiments to create his perfect creature.

Readers who enjoy historical fantasy will enjoy this Gothic thriller complete with a mad scientist, a troubled beauty, amazing creatures, and a romance too.

Darkly thrilling, The Madman's Daughter combines the things we know about the original telling of The Island of Dr. Moreau with the promise of new twists and slight deviations to keep us utterly riveted the entire way through. While we know more than Juliet does from the first page-her innocent hope that the rumors and accusations which drove her father to abandon her and her mother are unfounded temporarily blinding her-we still find ourselves nervously tapping our fingers and toes once she sets foot on the island, the truth of knowing her father is every bit the monster everyone thought him to be only serving to amplify our sense of unease. We find ourselves horrified, not only by the threat some of the island's inhabitants present but more so from the man responsible for them, someone who proves himself to be more unnatural than any of those who so unluckily fall under his scalpel.

Juliet intrigues us from the very start, proving herself to be intelligent and more than capable of defending herself and those weaker than her, unafraid to resort to violence despite how it conflicts with her polite society upbringing. Once she reaches the island however, a few small issues arise, namely her perpetual habit of painting everyone there with her father's brush. Her anger and disgust with him color her perception of all those who have done nothing but fall victim to Dr. Moreau's gruesome touch, causing her to group all of them under a single label with little regard for their status as innocents. We absolutely agree with her feelings toward her father as there is very little white threaded through all of his black, but Montgomery and the islanders all exist in varying shades of gray, as Juliet herself does, something she conveniently forgets when the painful reality of her father's cruelty becomes indisputable and rips her hope for love and family away.

Those who read the synopsis prior to picking this first installment up will not be surprised by the presence of a love triangle, with Juliet earning the romantic interest of both childhood friend Montgomery and castaway Edward. Luckily though the triangle is not of the overly dramatic variety, Juliet's preference clear early on (though it does waver ever-so-slightly at times), and she is not one to play games or pit her suitors against one another. The romance is also a very secondary element to the mystery of her father's experiments and the murders taking place on the island, so while Montgomery and Edward are both very present throughout, their interest in Juliet is never the primary focus. We're instead beautifully distracted by a truly grotesque villain and all the pain his inflated ego and delicate blade have caused.

Overall, The Madman's Daughter is a book that will keep many a reader up late, the call of sleep no match for the haunting tale of Juliet and her island of monsters-both those in truth and those who have simply been mislabeled. Though this is the first book of a trilogy, it has an episodic quality to it wherein many of the questions we have and much of the action specific to this leg of Juliet's journey is wrapped up, leaving us with plenty of room to move forward without causing us to break out in a cold sweat as we contemplate the number of days between now and the release date of book two.

Rating: 4/5

Madman's Daughter is the kind of story that makes you want to stop reading it but you can't because you just have to know how it ends. And it ends.. wow. Won't spoil it for you..

Story takes us to old London where women were married off based on their social status that seems to follow them everywhere they went. Juliet Moreau used to be one of those girls but after then scandal with her father and her mother dying, she had to find a job and survive on her own. After finding her father's notes, she tracks down her childhood servant that tells her that her father is still alive and lives on an island.

When she gets to the island, she sees a man scientist that will do anything just to discover something new. Like making animals into humans and throwing away his "failures" that got a taste for blood and want revenge.

Quote: “We're going to die, aren't we?" I asked bitterly.
He held me so tight I could hardly breathe. But I wanted tighter still. "Not here. I swear it.”

First things first - I hate her father. He was selfish, arrogant, mad, and had no respect for women. I'm not a feminist but he was seriously a pig. Juliet's character really surprised me and I did not expect her to be so clever. There were a hint of love triangle but when you mix that with a hint of adventure and monsters - that's when it gets interesting. Great read, a little slow but I'm planning on reading the second book in this series

I was very excited to read The Madman's Daughter. I knew The Island of Dr. Moreau and was interested to see where Shepherd would take the classic story. In the end, I have to say that I was somewhat, but not completely satisfied.

The book started out with a lot of promise. It was creepy and dark and drew you into Juliet's life and the scandal that had left her destitute. Then, Juliet finds out that her presumed-dead father is still alive and decides to go back to his island, along with Montgomery, her father's assistant. Unfortunately, the book starts to get a little slow here. The time that Juliet spends on the ship and her beginning time on the island are spent mostly worrying over whether she had feelings for Montgomery or Edward, a castaway who is picked up at sea and comes back to the island with them. Unfortunately, this made the book seem a bit slow in the middle. I wish that Shepherd had focused more on the dark atmosphere because I just didn't feel the danger and intrigue. That is, until the last quarter of the book - this part of the book was fabulous. This was when you really started to understand how twisted the island truly was and when the atmosphere got really creepy. There were also a few major twists, one that I didn't see coming at all, which I loved. The very end of the book is a bit of a cliffhanger (I actually have to admit that I liked it better when I thought that it was just the "end" and didn't realize that the book was part of a trilogy). It will be interesting to see where Shepherd goes with another book. I'm honestly not clear on where the story can go from here and how it will be sustained across two more books, but I'm certainly willing to read and find out! 3.5/5 stars.

Um, Miss Shepherd, can you explain what you were thinking when you wrote the ending? Because really, that's just cruel. Now, it is a series, but I'm not really sure where things can go from here. I'm curious to see where Shepherd takes the story next.

Enough about the future of the series, though, let's talk about the story itself.

For some reason I have this idea in my head that all historical books are always really slow and boring. The Madman's Daughter is yet another in the genre to prove me wrong. It did move a bit slowly, but not in the boring sense. It was maddening when mysteries were hinted at and answers felt just within grasp, but in the most delicious way. And don't fret about the aforementioned ending, you get all the answers it's just heartwrenching.

Characters
Juliet is pretty badass especially considering the setting. Here she is in a world where women are thought to be delicate, ignorant creatures and she's not afraid to do what needs to get done. She works scrubbing laboratory floors so she can survive without prostituting herself, she studies medicine, she stands up to her father, she chooses a guy for herself, among countless other things. She's not afraid to ask for help, either, which is an awesome thing on its own. One of the things I truly loved her for, though, was how confused she was. She knew her father was mad and found the things he did sickening but was drawn to them as well. The internal struggle was both wonderful and terrible.

I suppose you'd like me to talk about the boys as well? I honestly don't consider it much of a love triangle. There are two guys and only one girl, yes, but Juliet states from the beginning who she wants,. She does get a little confused, yes, but I think it's pretty fair given the circumstances. Plus, she doesn't go about stringing them both along. She ends up kissing both, sure, but she clearly tells boy B that she has feelings for boy A.

Juliet's father is absolutely terrifying and I felt anger, hatred, fear, and pity for him. Sometimes all at once.

Story
If you're squeamish you might just want to back away now. The animal dissections were described so vividly I found myself wanting to wash my brain clean of them a few times. That's not to mention how I felt for the animals themselves. Maybe it's the vegetarian in me, but I can't stand to see animals abused. I mean, those damn ASPCA commercials make me want to cry and go adopt them all. So reading about vivisection? Not exactly awesome. It was, however, an important part of the story and meant to disturb the reader.

The mysteries here are crazy. I mean, we have Juliet trying to figure out whether her father is truly mad or a misunderstood genius, weird-looking islanders, unexplained deaths, and just general shady personalities. It was practically torture at times, but you'll get all the answers in due time. And I promise I do mean all (unless I missed something.)

The Nutshell: the Madman's Daughter is historical fiction/fantasy, but it's definitely not all busy London streets and corsets. The bulk of the story takes place on the island and they don't exactly sit around having tea parties. The romance is a nice addition to the story, but the mystery and horror is what will keep you turning the pages.
Hit/Direct Hit

Without a doubt, The Madman's Daughter, is one of the creepiest books I have ever read. From the first page I was immersed in this gothic thriller. The descriptions were so vivid and dark I truly felt I was in ye olden London. When the setting changed to the Island, Shepherd, seamless brought the same dark creepy vibe from London and transposed it onto an Island in the South Pacific. I loved the writing style. Every detail was gradually revealed and by the end I was just shaking my head realizing I should have seen the foreshadowing but completely missed all the little details adding up to make the big picture.

The characters in The Madman's Daughter were all amazing in their own rights. I really liked Juliet Moreau, her father abandoned her after a scandal, her mother passed away, and she was left destitute in London. Instead of letting this get the better of her she gets a job, works hard, and is strong and independent in a time when women were told to rely on men for their every need. I also really liked Montgomery who was the Moreau's servant that went with Dr. Moreau into exile. Montgomery has lived on the island since he was young and has watched the Doctors experiments becoming his assistant. I liked how much growing Montgomery did throughout the book and his steady feelings for Juliet. Then there was Edward who was found after his ship crashed and was taken to the island along with Juliet and Montgomery, his past is mysterious and while Juliet has always loved Montgomery she is also drawn to Edward.

It was actually the romance in this book that made me rate it less then 5 Stars. The love triangle of sorts felt out of place and I wanted Juliet to make up her mind, pick a love interest, and let the story unfold. I was so captivated by the island and what was going on that the romance detracted from rather then adding to the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Madman's Daughter and the last page had me clicking my e-reader not believing that could be the end! While reading I thought this novel was a stand alone story so I was all the more stunned that it could just end like that. I recently found out that this is a planned trilogy (thank goodness) and I can not wait to get my hands on the second book. If you are looking for a good gothic thriller/romance/something amazingly creepy you will definitely enjoy The Madman's Daughter.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A disturbing and gruesome story of experiments and love.

Opening Sentence: The basement hallways in King's College of Medical Research were dark, even in the daytime.

The Review:

Juliet Moreau has a hard enough time getting by with a meager job and empty apartment. Now something is stirring within her...something dark, something causing her to have violent outbursts at random times. Her mother died trying to provide for Juliet when she was younger. Her father disappeared after accusations spread about heinous experiments in their basement. But Juliet, now sixteen, is starting to hear rumors of a doctor staying in England...but instead of a doctor she finds her old friend (and crush) Montgomery staying in a tavern downtown. But there's something odd about the servant he keeps with him. Could her father be behind this? Could he have taken Montgomery with him instead of his daughter?

Dark, creepy and sinister, The Madman's Daughter is the first horror story I've ever read. It had the works: evil geniuses, a good guy caught in the past and a heroine with something to prove. The setting was mysterious and filled with secrets-hidden creatures and odd islanders are tangled in a web of experiments all pointing to Juliet's father. I loved the intricate plot and complex characters. As my first horror read, this book has set high standards for others to come.

Juliet has had a rough life. She was born into aristocracy but ended up almost on the streets. Now she works as a maid at medical university-but not everyone ignores her. One of the professors takes an intense liking to her, but when he makes his move, Juliet isn't one to go down without a fight. Even if the consequences might send her running from the police. The inner conflict within Juliet was really well-developed, and I could imagine her two personalities colliding with her human morals. And as a human, she sometimes gives in to a darker side. It's this darker side that is the catalyst for the entire story. Shepherd does an excellent job in telling Juliet's story. She's not afraid to get down to the nitty-gritty. Plus, the two love interests in the book are definitely worthy of a swoon.

Montgomery was a servant when Juliet was still rich. They became best friends (and Juliet had a cute crush on him), and he helped her father with his work. But when the accusations surfaced about her father's work, Montgomery disappeared with her father. Now back in England, Montgomery is still under her father's influence. Juliet questions his morals and reminds him of the normal life he could have, but there's still that small part of him that enjoys her father's cruel work (I won't tell you what it is - that would ruin the whole beginning!) Shepherd also did an excellent job in creating this delicate character. His development through the entire book was heart breaking and even more complex than Juliet. His odd fascination and knowledge with what is right conflict in every choice he makes - right up until the end.

Honestly, I could have done without the love triangle. It was unnecessary, and I thought it took away from the main story arc. Not that Edward wasn't boring or flat - he was just another, more exaggerated example of the bad that could happen on the island.

Overall, I thought this was a great book. It'll take you on a whirlwind ride and might test your mind - but it's well worth it.

FTC Advisory: Harper Teen provided me with a copy of The Madman's Daughter. No goody bags, sponsorships, "material connections," or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Juliet Moreau's father was once a noted and respected surgeon. Their family was in the upper-crust of respected London society and they wanted for nothing. All of that changed when rumors of the doctor's research started surfacing. With his reputation ruined and his career in tatters, Doctor Moreau abandoned his wife and daughter. That was six years ago. Since then, Juliet's mother has passed, leaving the sixteen-year-old responsible for supporting herself. She's able to find work cleaning at the local university, but is barely scraping by. Juliet's long believed that her father must have died as well. After all, she can't imagine that he would have left them - her - to suffer so. But when some local medical students show up with Doctor Moreau's notes in hand, Juliet is no longer so certain. She tracks the notes to a local inn but instead of her father, she finds his assistant, Montgomery, who admits that Doctor Moreau is in fact alive and well. He insists that it's impossible to bring her to him, but an accident at the university leaves them no choice. Juliet finds herself aboard a ship bound for a remote island off the coast of Australia and while she's always wondered about the truth behind the rumors that ruined her father's career, she is ill prepared for what will be revealed.

Shepherd's debut is a clever and exciting take on Wells's classic, THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU, and I'd be surprised if it didn't turn a few new readers onto his work.

This is another spectacular cross over for teens and adults -- and for readers who are familiar with THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU. But you don't have to be at all. The Madman's Daughter stands on its own two feet and will still be a fabulous read for anyone who's not read Wells.

I loved the atmosphere of the book - from the dark and dreary corridors of the university to the lush and exotic but dangerous island, it all came to life in Shepherd's rich description. What's more, I really enjoyed how dark THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER is. In terms of subject, it's to be expected, but I wasn't really prepared for how far Shepherd would take it. It was a pleasant surprise and again makes this (in my opinion) appealing to a much broader audience. I always wanted books like this when I was a teen and appreciate it in the reads I enjoy today. I think it's a perfect realization of the story and am so glad that it didn't feel as though the author was holding anything back.

I'd not realized that this was to be the first in a trilogy. THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER does have and ending that can go either way and since I'd not expected any additional books until I started writing this post, I have to say that I thought the ending worked quite well as a stand alone, which makes sense considering it was originally meant to be just that. Given how much I enjoyed this one, I have to say I am definitely excited that there will be two more installments to Juliet's tale.

Breathtaking and heart-pounding, The Madman's Daughter is filled with twists, turns, blanket-gripping, page-flying and unstoppable chills that will keep you up long into the night.

Megan Shepherd has an amazing talent for bringing stories and characters to life - as is prominently displayed within the pages of The Madman's Daughter. The beginning has an incredible Gothic and dark feel to it that left me with near chills, and as the story progressed, this aspect only got better. The story begins in London during the late 1800's. Juliet is left orphened after her mother passes away from consumption. Juliet is forced to take on work as a cleaning girl at a local college to pay her way for room and board. When she is attacked, all bets are off and she must decide what to do with herself if she doesn't want to end up on the dirty streets, paying her way with her body. It is when she comes across a childhood friend that her life changes forever.

After a treacherous trip across the ocean, Juliet is reunited with a father that she thought dead. The reunion, however, is anything but pleasant and deep, dark and horrendous secrets are uncovered. Juliet makes discoveries about her father, as well as herself, that will forever alter her life and those lives around her.

The Madman's Daughter is truly a work of creative art. I found the story line to be very unique and captivating, as well reveling in the detailing of the characters - enabling me to truly feel myself within the story. Ms. Shephard brings the time period easily to life with the mannerisms, dialog and descriptions of the characters and their surroundings. I loved Juliet - her bravery, intelligence and feistiness where refreshing and added an excellence to the story that would have otherwise been missing. I have to say that I found myself detesting the father, questioning Edward and loving Montgomery. There are light doses of romance throughout the story, which were very well written and added a bit of "push and pull" to the story - as well as a touch of "frenzy", if you will. A few of the twists and turns I did have figured out ahead of time, but many I did not and found myself gasping in surprise. There were times I wanted to cry, times I wanted to scream and times that I wanted to slap someone as I read. The ending is perfect for leaving the reader hanging (one of the times that I wanted to scream!! lol) and left me dying to read the next book to see what happens.

The Madman's Daughter is the perfect story for readers looking for something unique, engrossing, puzzling, adventuresome and a story and characters that will not soon leave your mind. I know that the age for this book says 13 and up, and while I am ok with that, I would shoot for readers a bit older than that - possibly 15+, simply for the sake of truly understanding what is going on within the story and the characters. However, that is just my opinion. I can say that adults will have a very easy time getting into this story and having their attention held until the very end. I am giving The Madman's Daughter a 4 1/2 out of 5 - though it truly is so close to perfect that it hurts, lol!!! I can truly say that this is going on my list of favorite reads of 2013!

A few of my favorite quotes (taken from an uncorrected proof):

"As I said, I'm glad you came." His eyes held mine, leaving little doubt as to his meaning. Montgomery wasn't one for games.

My corset felt even more constricting than usual. I wanted to rip the stays and fill my burning lungs with air. His touch was thrilling. His whispered words, I'm glad you came, turned my insides molten. Emotions were a puzzle, something to be studied and fitted together carefully. But the edges of this puzzle didn't fit within the lines I knew.

~~~~~~

A door slammed from within, making me jump, and a boy appeared, running in a strange skipping manner toward us. He took hold of the horse's bridle while Montgomery climbed down and ruffled the boy's hair. I couldn't help but stare. The child's jaw protruded at an odd angle below a nearly nonexistent nose. A dark, fine hair covered his bare arms. A shiver ran over my skin. It was as if my father had stumbled upon some collection of natives whom the theory of evolution - were Mr. Darwin to be believed - had skipped by.

~~~~~~~~~

This was madness. This curiosity inside me was unnatural. It had pushed me further from my mother, further from reason and rules and logic. But there were times I still couldn't resist.

I rested my forehead against the wall and closed my eyes. It wasn't just my curiosity, or my fascination with anatomy, or how I could unhesitatingly chop a rabbit's head off with an ax when a roomful of boys couldn't. Those things were all symptoms of the same sickness - a kind of madness inherited from my father. It was a dangerous pull in my guy drawing me toward the dark possibilities of science, toward the thin line between life and death, toward the animal impulses hidden behind a corset and a smile.

Juliet, the daughter of the disgraced and possibly dead Dr. Moreau has found herself on the bad end of life. Where once she was feted to lavish parties and fawned over by society's leading lights, now she finds herself scrubbing floors and trying to escape the lecherous paws of men who believe her reduced status gives them access to her. Everyday is a struggle with the fear that she will finally run out of money and have to resort to the world's oldest profession to stay alive. But her one loyal friend from the old days, who is not ashamed to be seen with her ultimately leads her to a startling discovery, her father and his work may still be alive. Following directions given her by a new acquintance, she manages to locate her father's old assistant, Montgomery. She discovers that her father is not dead but has exiled himself to a remote island where he lives with Mongomery and continues much of the work that led to his fall in England. Montgomery is only back in England because he needs to procure supplies for her father and she convinces him that he has to take her along.

I read this book a few weeks ago but it stayed with me for so long that it took me awhile to write this review. The author is a master at creating such vivid pictures of whatever she is describing. When Juliet is cleaning the floors in the lab where she works as a maid, I could imagine myself in the cold, dank and medicinal smelling amphitheater. When she describes watching a woman reduced to prostituting herself to survive on the dirty streets, I felt like I could smell the odours from the refuse. And when Juliet ends up on her father's tropical island, I felt the danger lurking behind the beautiful exterior.

The story of what happened to Dr. Moreau after his disgrace and the work he continued to carry out was fascinating and so well described that it made me forget to question some of the absurdity surrounding the whole thing. Creating a human being from a deer, or cow...?Sounds absolutely insane and impossible. A gorilla, an ape, yes, I could believe those parts of the story, these animals are after all similar enough to humans but a deer, ridiculous! But that is where the author's gift lay, she created such an engrossing tale that I was so caught up in the story and I never questioned the science of it all, at least while I was reading. Ultimately, the reader becomes more concerned with the way the story will unfold, how Juliet will escape what becomes an increasingly dangerous situation, that you don't really care or least care to a lesser extent how the experiments are at all possible.

I liked Juliet and Montgomery very much. Juliet struggles to make the best out of the horrible life that follows after the scandal. She is resourceful if a bit head strong. When she meets Montgomery, her life begins to seem hopeful. She had never forgotten him, her constant and loyal companion when she was a child and the only person she felt really knew and understood her. The only time my affection for Juliet began to wane was when her relationship with Edward turns the whole thing into a love triangle. Edward is a shipwreck victim that Juliet and Montgomery pick up on their way to the Island. Though I liked him okay, there was always something a bit unsettling about him.

And Dr. Moreau...whoa, what a man. I tried to keep an open mind when he is first introduced. I wanted to believe that he was wrongly accused, After all, the first set of doctors who tried to teach and learn from actual dead bodies where considered monsters and macabre. Maybe Dr. Moreau was just misunderstood. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT: No he wasn't. He was bat crap crazy. But what made him even scarier was that he was intelligent, not foaming at the mouth crazy. I was both fascinated by him and repulsed by him. He tested the limits of creating life, first as a necessity and then as an ego boost.

I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a welcome departure from the standard YA fare of present. It took an old story, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and turned it into a lovely and extremely engaging tale. Save for the unnessary love triangle, this story is one of the best books I read last year. I can't wait for the next books.

Synopsis: Do the sins of the father follow? For Juliet Moreau they do. Juliet is trying to live a clean life even though her father is the deranged Dr. Moreau, whom Juliet thought died long ago, has forced her to live with his past.

When Juliet learns that he isn't dead, but living in exile on an island, she insists that his assistant take her to see him. Was that the smartest thing she has done? Probably not when Juliet learns that what he did in London was child's play compared to what is occurring on the island.

My rating: 4 Stars

My opinion: Incredibly intense and intelligently written for a YA book. Kept me on the edge of my seat even for being a YA book. Nice not to have vampires/werewolves and all that jazz . I thought the story flowed incredibly well. I particularly enjoyed the characters because, like the storyline, they were unusual. This was not a "cookie cutter" type of book, which is so prevalent in the YA genre.

On that note, I did feel some of it might not be totally age appropriate esp. for the younger YA reader. There were definitely some scenes in the book that I think were a bit intense or "violent" on many dimensions for the younger reader. I would say that this book was on the cusp of falling into the New Adult genre.

Source: Edelweiss for Balzer and Bray

Would I recommend? : See above

Stand Alone or Part of a Series: First in trilogy. My belief is that this is going to be a very character driven series...read in order!

When I read the description of The Madman's Daughter, I couldn't wait to get started. I love historical, gothic thrillers, and this one seemed to have all the makings of a great re-telling. In many ways, this novel lived up to most of my expectations. The author did an amazing job of creating some genuine suspense and of filling her pages with an incredibly sinister and macabre atmosphere. She truly captured the spirit of the original tale, and for that she gets a four star rating from me.

The portion of the novel that didn't quite live up to my expectations centered around some of the characters and the love triangle at the center of this story. I just didn't feel it at all, and became rather bored with Juliet's constant dithering between Montgomery and Edward. If I had cared more for either of them throughout the story, then perhaps I could have been more invested in their relationships. More time should have been spent on developing their personalities and feelings. Juliet is all over the place in her range of emotion, but the two men were rather one dimensional.

Aside from the relationship dithering mentioned earlier, the story is perfectly paced and spares no sentiment in its often times gruesome and disturbingly graphic portrayals of death and scientific skullduggery. Juliet is an able narrator and young readers will relate to her fears and admire her courage in escaping a life of drudgery in London. I wish more had been written of the father, as he is a truly evil villain for this tale.

This is the first book of a trilogy, which usually annoys me to no end, however I so admired the author's plotting that I found myself not annoyed at the end, but only looking forward to the next installment. Readers will sometimes get frustrated when Juliet is a bit slow to figure things out, but will then only regret their own assumptions when they discover there are more unexpected surprises to be found on the next page. The Madman's Daughter is a truly thrilling and gruesome read that will appeal to all teen and adult fans of horror fiction, and will likely leave you wailing in anguish at the thought of waiting for the next book.

The Madman's Daughter was a wonderfully creepy read! I was surprised by just how much I liked this book and now I can't wait to read the sequel. I don't really remember the original The Island of Dr. Moreau, but it didn't affect my enjoyment at all. Megan Shepherd is a writer to watch and I know I'll be keeping my eye out for her future works.

This book is a retelling of the H.G. Wells classis, but from the point of view of Juliet Moreau -- daughter of the infamous doctor. She believes he is dead and is living as an orphan, scraping money from her cleaning job just to barely get by. One day she stumbles upon her childhood friend, Montgomery, and learns that he father is actually alive and living on a deserted island. When she makes her choice to journey there, she has no idea just what she's getting herself into.

Juliet's time in London and on the ship voyage are interesting, but the story really come to life when she arrives at the island. The descriptions were lush and vibrant, but full of chilling and discomfoting elements. It is not a place for the faint of heart.

Juliet herself was a wonderful heroine. She was strong and smart and not afraid to go in search of answers. I really enjoyed reading from her viewpoint. The other characters were well-developed and added varying depths to the story. Montgomery broke my heart, Dr. Moreau enraged me, and Edward made me feel uncomfortably sympathetic. Ms. Shephard knows how to pull many different emotions out of a simple turn of phrase or character flaw.

The plot was well-paced and fairly complex. There were some twists and turns that caught me off guard, especially the ending, while others I did see coming. The overall ambiance of the setting and plot was a true gem and captured the time period well. Aside from the slight love triangle, I enjoyed everything about this book. Highly recommended!

Thank you to Edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for providing an ARC copy of this book!

The Madman's Daughter was a fantastic read! I loved how the author blended elements of romance, suspense and fantasy to create an unforgettable novel inspired by The Island of Doctor Moreau by HG Wells.

I was drawn in from the beginning by the story of Juliet's fall from grace after a scandal that forced her father out of London. Juliet and her mother were left with no money and Juliet is forced to work as a maid while staying in a boarding house. The novel had a dark and gothic feel from the get go and it really enticed me to keep reading.

I thought the author did an amazing job of pulling me into her world. Whether the setting was in London, a pirate ship or the doctor's island, I felt transported to the places she was describing. The descriptions of the creatures made by the doctor were also incredibly well done and I felt squeamish over some of the scenes that took place in the operating room.

Juliet was a wonderful protagonist. She was tough and smart without being too hardened and distant. I was able to relate to her conflicting emotions about her father as well as her childhood friend Montgomery. I liked that the story was told from her point of view and the readers were given the same clues as she was to unravel the mysteries of the island.

It's hard to talk about the plot without posting spoilers. I'll just say that the book had some awesome twists! I guessed a couple of the reveals, but a few were definite surprises. What's crazy is that most of the big revelations don't occur until the last fifteen percent of the book. However, it didn't affect the pace of the novel and I never found myself bored to tears while reading.

I know some readers aren't fans of love triangles, but I actually like them. The only problem with this one was I started out liking one guy, then I liked the other guy and by the end I hated both of them because of events that occur over the course of the novel. I'm excited for the next book and I wouldn't mind a new romantic interest for Juliet.

This is an amazing debut that I'm certain fans of young adult novels will love!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this novel for review!

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Juliet has had her life turned upside down by her father who abandon her mother when she was a young child. Her mother made do, barely surviving until Juliet turned sixteen and then died of consumption. With no other way to survive, one of her father's coworkers at a medical university helps get her a job as a maid cleaning up the surgery. She must deal with a doctor who would like to get to "know" her better and all of the other medical student with whom she has superior knowledge of physiology. The scandal that caused her father to leave was that he was conducting vivisection.

Just when Juliet has enough, her childhood friend and her father's protege, Montgomery, appears back in her life and she discovers that her father is still alive. She demands that he take her to the island where her father is now living. Yes, the Island of Dr. Moreau! This heavenly Victorian Gothic plays fast and heavy. I adored the movie (in all campyness) and this is a great take on the story. You get all the creepiness through Juliet's eyes as she unravels just what her father has been doing in his experiments. Of course, everything goes awry and Juliet must decide exactly what is wrong and right in this island world.

Of course, there is a set up for the obligatory love triangle between her childhood sweetheart of Montgomery and a rescued from the sea Edward. Edward doesn't appear to be too truthful to me, so I have to read the next book to see if my instincts are correct in this matter. There is also the matter of her father's "creations" and at the end, there is an amazing twist I didn't see coming. For that alone, you need to read this book. Parents: There is some kissing, some full fledged horror here and a bit of violence.

I heard about this book at a conference for librarians, recommended reading for teens/YA fiction. Let me just say, personally, I wouldn't recommend this book to any grade below HS level, due to it's gruesome content (Dr. Moreau's experiments) and a couple of steamy makeout scenes that dangerously flirt with the lines of adult romance.

The cover is great. And as I started reading, I thought the historical fiction a welcomed change to all the dystopia I've been soaking up lately. I must say that the premise of the book had already been spelled out for me, and one of the big plot twists (regarding Juliet) had been given away at the conference, which piqued my interest into reading to begin with. Imagine my disappointment when I had to wait 37 chapters just to get to that point.

I've never read The Island of Dr. Moureau, but I had a pretty good idea that it was along the lines of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Frankenstein, so I wasn't completely lost in the dark. Mad scientist plays God. If you are at all familiar with any of the books, or at least the concept, do yourself a favor and skip ahead to chapter 37. It's where the action begins, and truth be told, you haven't missed anything pertinent to the resolution of the storyline.

I must say the bulk of my gripe with the novel is that the love triangle wore me thin. I already don't like that most YA novels include the device of the love triangle. I'm biased in that regard, but I've accepted that they will exist. But for the life of me, I did not understand the purpose of this triangle for about 90% of the book. I didn't understand Edward's purpose in the novel, at all. He just seemed to be placed there by the author so Juliet can have two suitors to pine over, painstakingly, for the majority of the novel. It's evident from the beginning that she's going to choose Montgomery; we know this. Why put Edward, and the readers, through this turmoil?

And now that I've finished the book, I still don't understand the love triangle--not from Juliet's perspective. I see it better coming from Montgomery and Edward, respectively. Montgomery knew Juliet when he was younger. There's history there. They grew up together. He loves her; we get it. Edward... Edward is stranded at sea, comes aboard the ship, instantaneously falls in Juliet, and goes to island with her to protect her. Why, when she has Montgomery? But come to find out, his connection to her is deeper than that. Without giving away any spoilers, it makes sense from Edward's standpoint, because they are similar, because of who and what he is. But from Juliet's POV, how are you pining over a guy you just met?

The love triangle takes up more of the novel than it should have. Juliet bouncing back and forth, both physically and emotionally, between the two guys. It's sooooo taxing. It could've been handled differently. As a writer, I see how I would've done it, but won't take up time spelling it out.

Another gripe I have is the photo Edward is carrying when he is found. It is later revealed to be of Juliet and her mother. I'm trying not to give anything away, but I have to question: how was Edward off to London, with this photo, to protect Juliet, from a father she believed to be dead? She had no knowledge of her father being alive or this wretched island. So what danger was he off to protect her from? The photo seems to be a plot hole that everyone overlooked.

Finally, Juliet. She starts out strong, standing up to college boys, fighting back against her attacker. But then she reunites with Montgomery, and all of that goes out the window. She becomes a typical damsel in distress the remainder of the book. "Oh, I just need to fall into his arms, so that I'll know everything will be okay." Mind you, she can't decide whose arms she wants to fall into. She's manipulative. "I wish Montgomery would stand up for himself." But she plays on his emotions in order to do so. In essence, she's a puppetmaster pulling his strings. She has daddy issues, and rightfully so. But girl, after you got to the island, after you've witnessed with your own eyes The Madman your father actually is, it's time to buck up and take some action. Not stand around pondering which boy you like more. I truly feel without the love triangle, we could've seen more Juliet resolving issues with her father, explored more dangers/experiments of the island, gotten to the end a lot sooner.

About midway through the book, I said "Dear God, I'm so glad this is a stand alone novel and not a series. Whenever I get to the end, that'll be it." Only to come on here to find it's the first in a trilogy. Why?

When she was ten years old, her father’s scandal ruined her life. Now that she’s sixteen, Juliet Moreau is working as a maid in the hospital he used to operate in. Life is hard on the streets of London and she scrapes by just so, but it’s just one step away from prostitution. When she finds out that her father may still be alive, she follows him to a tropical island near Australia and is shocked by what she finds. Nobody is what they seem to be, not even Juliet herself…

The Madman’s Daughter is based on H.G. Wells’ The Island of Dr. Moreau, and like the original work it is set in Victorian London (until Juliet travels to the Pacific island her father now lives on.) Now I can’t really say whether or not it is a good adaptation, because I haven’t read Wells’ work, but on its own, it was a very fascinating read. The Madman’s Daughter is deliciously creepy and I spent a great deal of the first half being freaked out by it.

The writing was very riveting and if I weren’t a victim of “oh noes this bed is so comfy I will just sleep instead” I would’ve finished the book much quicker than I actually did. Megan Shepherd had me hooked from start to finish and there were no moments I can think of where I was anything but curious about how it would go on. She drew out the mystery and subsequent events until the very last page and as I said, it was all so very creepy and unsettling, I positively revelled in it.

As for the characters – well done. I didn’t know whom I could really trust, everyone was sort of shady, even Juliet herself. Henri Moreau, her father, was truly a madman and I was actually scared for Juliet. Then there were Montgomery, who seemed like an okay fellow, but turned out to be much more than he let on, and Edward, who abandoned his previous plans so he could watch over Juliet, despite stepping into the lion’s den. The islanders were intriguing as well and especially Alice and Balthazar grew on me.

The only thing that irked me (and the reason why I’m only giving four teacups) was the science behind it all. Obviously a certain amount of disbelief is needed, but Moreau’s experiments combined animal parts and then ended up looking deceivingly human. I found that to be very implausible without the aid of magic. Especially later when there’s the monster going around and it turns out that it literally transforms, much like a werewolf would, that was just too much for me. It wasn’t even scientifically explained, it was just accepted at face value and I didn’t really buy that.

Still though, four stars from me and a recommendation to anyone who likes historical fiction with a creepy plot and unsettling characters.

For everyone who loves to read and talk about books, I'm sure no one has been able to escape people talking about "The Madman's Daughter." I heard so much about it, bloggers raving, that I had to read it. The book is a variation of "The Isle of Dr. Moreau" by HG Wells. If you're not familiar with the story, it doesn't matter as Ms. Shepherd lays the story out very well.

I plunged into this book, riveted by the beginning and what leads Juliet to have to leave London. The characters are extremely well-written, and throughout the book you're questioning who is the "bad guy" and who is the "good guy."

Ms. Shepherd goes fully into the story, describing the island, the inhabitants, the procedures, and the housing. Some things you start to pick up on very quickly and guess what is happening, others not so much. Until the end, I wasn't sure how it was going to end!

The only problem I had with the story is probably with my lack of patience. There were just so many jaunts in and out of the woods, describing trees and journeys to such a degree that I got bored. I think I probably would have enjoyed it more if all the jaunts were just combined into one single jaunt, where the important information could have been gleaned, but not have extraneous things cluttering it up.

Also, the heroine's dilemma between Montgomery and Edward was drawn out a bit much. I found myself muttering a few times to just make a decision already. I must admit that the ending threw me for a bit of a loop. I didn't expect it to end that way, but really, there was no way other than that ending that would have been true to the story and the characters.

I would definitely recommend the book. It was quite interesting, and really forces you to think about humanity and what constitutes human.

The Madman’s Daughter, by Megan Shepherd, follows Juliet and her story in trying to find her dad and discover the truth for herself about why he was banished. She has help along the way by Montgomery, a former servant of hers before her dad was banished. He left with her father and has been with him ever since. They both go to the island her father has been living on and on the way there they find a man lost at sea, Edward. Once they all arrive at the island, Juliet find that all the rumors about her father were true and that both of her closest friends wernt who they seemed to be. In this old-timey almost Frankenstein like book, you get a mixture of horror, mystery and a twist of romance. Now I have never been one for old fashioned books but that all definitely depends on the person. Even for me who usually doesn't enjoy these types of books it was still a good read I didn’t want to put down. I would recommend it for those who enjoy a a good old-fashioned book that's full of twists and new surprises. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and believe it is very well written and interesting! Even for a sixteen year old girl. It makes you think and questions many things about life you probably wouldn't think to ask, making it even harder to put down.

Juliet Moreau is the daughter of Dr. Moreau. Dr. Moreau is a brilliant doctor and was considered a respected member of the community. That is until his latest science experiments were discovered. Now, Juliet is part of a cleaning crew at the university.

After an incident, Juliet needs to make a new start and quickly. After learning that her father is alive and experimenting on an island, Juliet makes her way to the island. Once there Juliet is met face to face with her father's projects. Juliet must make a decision...stay or leave?

I absolutely love when a book actually turns out to be just as great as it promises to me. That book is The Madman's Daughter. I devoured this book. I both was upset in horror by Juliet's father and also intrigued by him. Mad because his "science projects" were more inhumane then just for science. Yet, I was very intrigued by what Juliet's father was doing and the strange combinations that he put together.

As the story progressed, it got more entertaining. Megan really painted a vivid picture of the story she was telling. It was like I was there on the island and could picture the strange creatures. I am so glad to read that this book is the first in a trilogy. The way it ended I was hoping that there would be another one. I am on the edge of my seat awaiting in excited anticipation for book two. The Madman's Daughter is mad, crazy good! I give two thumbs up to Megan.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd contains just the right amount of horror to keep me interested without totally scaring me to death. Juliet's father performs vivisection on animals, which is dissection while awake and aware. Horrible cruelty and extremely painful! Well written, intriguing, suspenseful and exciting, I will read The Madman's Daughter again! The magnificent heroine, Juliet, believes she is a monster because of her father's blood running through her veins. She struggles with her identity throughout the book. I like the fact that Megan Shepherd uses classics to base each trilogy installment on. The Island of Dr. Moreau is the basis for The Madman's Daughter, the sequel is based on The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the last book in this trilogy is based on Frankenstein! I am purchasing this series because The Madman's Daughter is so good!

Juliet is such an amazing character. She is strong and rather fierce. Juliet made me laugh and I also enjoyed how stubborn she could be. Montgomery is such a sweet character and I adored him. On the other hand while Edward intrigued me, I didn't really like him. There was just something about him. I hated Dr. Moreau, but at the same time, I hoped that he would change. I found myself wanting to know more about the characters and I hope that comes up in the next books.
This book gripped me from the very beginning. I became immersed in this book, so much that I tried to read this book at breaks at a concert. I also finished this book during Finals week, which never happens to me. I felt invested in this book. There were so many surprises in this book that I didn't know what to expect next. There isn't a book like this. I believe that it was so unique and just awesome. I know that a lot of people can't read Historical Fiction, but this book was so epic and fast paced. I am really excited for the future books in this series, because there are so many things that I can't wait to know more about. I recommend this book to someone that wants a unique book with great characters and a fast and intriguing plot.

I really enjoyed reading The Madman's Daughter. I hadn't read the first book of this trilogy, The Island of Dr. Moreau, and didn't know this was a trilogy until well into the book, but that doesn't in anyway take away from the ability to understand this sequel. It did, however, make me want to read The Island of Dr. Moreau, which I did as well. The Madman's Daughter is based on Juliet Moreau and the effects her father's experiments caused her and her mother after his "death". I don't want to give away any of the plot to this wonderfully written, dark gothic thriller, but I will say that it is a page turner! For me, the first few chapters were a bit on the dry side, but then it quickly turned into a "must read" for me. The characters are built slowly and methodically to ensure a true relationship feeling from them to the reader. I often found myself thinking about them during my day and questioning what I would do if given the situation that Juliet was in. When a book makes you think about it during the day, then it is a wonderful read! You don't need to read the first book to understand this one, but I highly recommend reading Dr. Moreau first as it will just enhance the Madman's Daughter experience. Truly love the book and can't wait to see the movie.