Review: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

My Review:

The Madman's Daughter was a fascinatingly creepy story.  There were parts of it that were disturbing and gory, and there were parts that were sweet and romantic.  It was a story that kept me wondering what would happen next.  There were some shocking twists thrown in as well.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD

Juliet Moreau is an interesting main character.  She has been shaped in some ways by what her father has done, but she is also a strong character.  When she was young, she and her mom left her dad due to a scandal that involved some science that he had supposedly been doing.  Now, her mom has died, and she thinks her dad is dead.  She is working as a maid at a medical college in London when she meets an old servant of her dad and finds out that her father, Dr. Moreau, is still alive.  She goes with the servant, Montgomery, back to the island where her dad is now working.  On the way, they pick up a castaway named Edward.

There are two boys in this book that Juliet has feelings for.  One of them is Montgomery, the boy who was her father's servant when she was younger.  She had a crush on him back then, and that hasn't changed.  She sometimes gets frustrated with him because he still seems to do whatever her father asks, even when what her father asks is wrong.  I look forward to seeing how their relationship will be able to progress in the next book, especially with what happened at the end of this one.  The other boy is Edward, the mysterious castaway who survived a shipwreck.  Edward has a few secrets of his own.  One of these is a particularly shocking secret about his past.  

Juliet's father, Dr. Moreau, is a fascinating character.  He is rather insane, and he does some creepy things.  He is determined to create the perfect beings.  He thinks that he can create humans out of animals.  Some of the beings that he creates are very human-like.  He does not seem to know at all that what he is doing is wrong.  He doesn't care about the pain that the operation causes the animals to feel.  He is inhumane in the operations since he doesn't even use anesthesia.  

If you like YA Gothic horror, read this book.

Katie