The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd
Release Date: January 29, 2012
Publisher: Balzer And Bray
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 432

Summary: London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

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

My Thoughts: I did not know what to expect going into this one. Since its historical, I was unsure, as I don’t read that many historical books.

We are introduced to Juliet who is basically an orphan. Her mother died recently, and her father died when she was younger, and now she’s left all alone. Her father was a famous doctor, but a scandal went down to make him less popular, a monster, etc. Juliet doesn't like to tell people he’s her father.

Juliet has a job cleaning. It’s either that or work the streets.  Juliet does her job quietly most of the time. She keeps to herself and lives day to day.

Until one day, when she stumbles upon a document she knows is her father's. While on her journey to find out how they got it, she finds her family’s former servant who has secrets of his own.  She is then thrown into a madness she never knew she could become a part of.

She finds out her father may be alive, and wants to be taken to him. She gets to know a few guys along the way, an old friend, and a new guy. I couldn't figure out who I liked more. Montgomery or Edward. Both had their own perks and downfalls.

Juliet was a very likable person. She was funny, stubborn, and a great heroine. She goes to the island, and gets to know the truth behind everything. It isn't what she thought it would be like that's for sure. And, the ending, whoa. Did not see that coming!

The Madman’s Daughter was interesting! I actually really enjoyed it a lot. Even though it was historical I couldn't really tell.

This book was pretty darn good and I loved the romance aspects! And all the creatures, wow! It was neat finding out more about them.

I hope you will add this to your 2013 debut list!

Overall: Whoa, what an adventure. From the moments on the ship to the moments on the island, I was very intrigued. I found myself picking this book up in the middle of the night to just finish a few more chapters! Lovely story.

Cover: Like it! It does have that historical feel to it though but I still like it.

What I'd Give It: