Dear Z,
Hey Zoe, I am writing this fresh off the reading binge I had today to finish The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd, so if I’m less than coherent its because my mind has been blown and my heart rendered to unidentifiable scraps. I’d heard of The Madman’s Daughter and the premise of the 2013 YA book, not to mention it’s gorgeous cover art, had enticed me for a while. So around Christmas when I went on a mini book haul, it was of course a title I picked up eagerly. And now after a busy whirlwind of January and February I have completed it. And let me tell you it has overtaken my soul! It has been a while since a book has been able to grab me so quickly and entirely.
I would say that The Madman’s Daughter is a sci-fi/historical fiction young adult novel. It is a re-imagining of the classic tale The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. In other words the science is creepy and the tale wonderfully Gothic. Author Megan Shepherd loved the original classic tale as a teen and wondered how a young woman (of which their were no human girls in the original classic) would fit into this world. Therefore she created Juliet Moreau. Juliet’s father was accused as a mad man, a brilliant scientist who wrapped his family up in scandal. Juliet went from high class young girl, to a maid when he disappeared without a trace. Her one and only pressing question? What happened to her father? And was he the monster everyone believed him to be? Juliet definitely gets her answers, but never in the way anyone could have predicted.
Megan Shepherd keeps you guessing well into the final chapter of the book where she then rips your heartstrings from your breast. I admit at the end of this book I shed a tear for Juliet and her Montgomery (Ah love triangles, I both love and loathe you). Each character has a story and while you may guess part of it, its entire truth will blow your original inklings out of the water. Ms. Shepherd’s imagination takes the readers to the next level, and its a thrill ride I can’t wait to take again in the sequel, Her Dark Curiosity which hit stores a mere month ago to the day. It is currently already downloaded on my Nook awaiting my eager eyes to devour it whole!! MWAHAHAHAHA…*cough cough*….ahem. Anyway if you have loved such Classics as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice‘s love story and the mad science and adventure from all else we call Classic Literature today then this trilogy is for you. Juliet is a strong willed girl, who’s journey you must simply know the end of, not to mention who wouldn’t want to traipse around a dangerous jungle, or the Gothic streets of London chasing after scientific aberrations murdering the innocent? Oh its just too much! I can’t wait for more, so on that note I need to charge my Nook and delve right into the next book!
Until the Next Read,
A
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