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The Madman Daughter Megan Shepherd Books

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The Madman Daughter Megan Shepherd Books

BIG OLD SPOILER WARNING!

Okay, that said, this is maybe the shortest book review I will ever write, because I loved just about everything about his book...except for the fact that Montgomery let Juliet leave the island with only a scanty supply of the medicine that we know, by the end, is the only thing keeping her alive. And Juliet - MENSA-worth Juliet - never considers the possibility of learning the formula herself? Montgomery never considers telling her? Sorry, but that's nothing better than sloppy click-bait for the next book. Which, of course, I'm reading. But really. You can't write such smart characters and then have them act so very stupid, and retain reader respect. I'm reading on in the way that I read the second Twilight book: knowing it's choclate cake that will do no more in the end than add inches to my waistline. It would have been SO easy for Evil Dad to give Juliet a false recipe for the antidote, or Montgomery not know how it's made, or even for Juliet, at the end, to remind Montgomery that she only has a short supply...sigh.


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The Madman Daughter Megan Shepherd Books Reviews

The Madman's Daughter sat on my TBR shelf for over a year, waiting to get a second glance. I had read the blurb before I put it there, of course, but I apparently didn't read it close enough. Recently, while looking for something new to read, I came across this book again and gave the description another read. And I saw the last paragraph. I was totally sold! The Island of Dr. Moreau was one of the books I was forced to read in high school (we watched the 1977 movie too!) and was totally enamored with. The idea of a mad scientist making these creatures on a secluded island just really caught my interest for some reason. So when I realized this book was based on that story, I absolutely had to read it as soon as possible!

This is a book that is definitely leaning towards gothic. There is nothing heartwarming here, so if you're looking for that special feeling and a happy ending, look elsewhere. I would have expected nothing less from a book based on Dr. Moreau. The story begins with Juliet working in a university hospital as a maid, fallen from her on-high status as a result of the scandal surrounding her mad scientist father who promptly abandoned his family when the warrant went out for his arrest. Assumed dead, he was never sought out by his daughter. But when she gets a hint that he might still be alive and then has a run in with her long-lost childhood friend, she sets off to find him again. What she finds is not what she had in mind, however.

The characters in this story, particularly Juliet, Montgomery, and Edward, were all very well portrayed. Juliet was not the kind of helpless heroine who gets on my nerves and Montgomery and Edward were mysterious enough in the beginning that it allowed for a great deal of revelation and growth throughout the book. I was able to identify with Juliet as she attempted to reconcile the conflicted feelings she had for Montgomery and Edward - the boy she'd idolized as a child and the mysterious castaway. Both had their redeeming qualities and I'm definitely interested to see where this particular love triangle goes in the rest of the series. Juliet's father was just what a mad scientist should be - totally mad. My heart broke for Juliet as she realized just how deep that madness went. The secondary characters in The Madman's Daughter - Alice, Balthazar, and Jaguar - were all very well developed as well.

The plot itself, while significantly different from The Island of Dr. Moreau, was intriguing. I loved finding things out along with Juliet as the story progressed. There were also several twists that I never saw coming! The search for the monster on the island was particularly good. Without giving too much away, there were some intense, unexpected facts that came to the surface near the end that were just awesome! The way Megan Shepherd built up the worlds of both London and the Island was also really well done. The gloom and hopelessness of London was tangible, as was the uncertainty and danger of the island.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Though I went back and forth on the rating (probably because I had to take some time to come to terms with the ending), I settled on four stars. I didn't realize until after I finished that each book in the series is based on a different classic - The Island of Dr. Moreau, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and Frankenstein. I'm very excited to see where this goes in the next book once Juliet is back in London!
At the beginning of this story I was very hopeful about this book. We had an headstrong female protagonist and I was very interested to see how the interpretation of such a creepy classic would play out. However, the promising pieces just did not gel well together and I didn't love this one.

Honestly I think part of the problem with this book is something outside of the author's control. The source material, the original Island of Dr. Moreau, is quite short and doesn't have a lot of details. The original is quite mysterious and gruesome which translates well, but Shepherd had a lot to fill in and smooth over to make this an interesting and engaging story for young adults. She does a fair job, but engagement is where this book struggled.

After a strong first few chapters, this book took a bit of a nose dive. The pacing is extremely slow especially in the beginning. As soon as the story hits its stride, we get on a ship and it feels like the story hit the horse latitudes. Not only that, but that headstrong narrator I mentioned, seemed to disappear in the face of a love interest. Juliet seemed to shift her focus entirely from the dark themes of the story and her father's past to the two men she is flirting with.

Like I mentioned there is a love triangle which never sits well with me. Juliet swings wildly between the two love interests in an unbelievable way. I wasn't convinced she was interested in either one of the men because she constantly changed her mind (sometimes in the same paragraph!)

HOWEVER, the last 100 pages of this book salvaged it. The pace picked up and some of the true madness crept into the story. The darkness finally appeared and I was tearing through the pages to find out what would happen to Juliet. Her father's madness and the revelations at the end of the story were what I was looking for throughout and I'm glad we got there even though it took a while. Even though I struggled with this book, I'm looking forward to the next one and I will continue on with this series.
BIG OLD SPOILER WARNING!

Okay, that said, this is maybe the shortest book review I will ever write, because I loved just about everything about his book...except for the fact that Montgomery let Juliet leave the island with only a scanty supply of the medicine that we know, by the end, is the only thing keeping her alive. And Juliet - MENSA-worth Juliet - never considers the possibility of learning the formula herself? Montgomery never considers telling her? Sorry, but that's nothing better than sloppy click-bait for the next book. Which, of course, I'm reading. But really. You can't write such smart characters and then have them act so very stupid, and retain reader respect. I'm reading on in the way that I read the second Twilight book knowing it's choclate cake that will do no more in the end than add inches to my waistline. It would have been SO easy for Evil Dad to give Juliet a false recipe for the antidote, or Montgomery not know how it's made, or even for Juliet, at the end, to remind Montgomery that she only has a short supply...sigh.