The Madman's Daughter

Author: Megan Shepherd
Goodreads Rating: 3.72
Pages: 432
Format: ARC borrowed from Friend

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.

So, this was never really a high priority for me. It seemed really interesting, but I wasn't going to actively seek it out until Lili loaned it to me, and man did I really like this book. I will admit that part of my hesitance to this book is the fact that I saw The Island of Dr. Moreau not only when I was a child and caught my mom watching it, but also when I was a senior in High school in my Bioethics class. I was unamused both times and a little bit scared the first, so did I want to revisit this island where the man turned animals into people? No way Jose.

But then I did, and man did I like Juliet. She was fierce and headstrong and everything that a female main character should be. I will admit that she made her mistakes, but who doesn't? I was a little disappointed that we were given another Love Triangle. Yawn. I loved that her connection with one of the boys, Montgomery, stretched back into her childhood and that they had that history.

I also loved how it made you question how far science experements should go. How far is too far? It is an obvious answer in this book that what Moreau is doing is completely wrong, but still, this book makes you think about the implications of what he was doing and not just that but the impact that it has on Juliet as his daughter.

This book was full of twists and turns and it keeps you on the edge of you seat dying to know what is going to happen next. I absolutely cannot wait for the next book to come out so that I can find out what is going to happen next.

The Courts Decision: