The Madman’s Daughter (The Madman’s Daughter #1)
Summary:
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. (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
“The Madman’s Daughter” is based on “The Island of Dr. Moreau”, which I am not familiar with, but I have been told the similarities are extremely strong so if you are familiar with the classic, it may ruin the twist.
This is a bizarre, Gothic and disturbing book. Though quite odd subject matter and a high creep-factor, the book is written for younger audiences so don’t let a fear of the grisly keep you from reading it. Juliet is a strong and kickass character who is not content to be told what to do. There isn’t any damsel in distress here. I also love that there is an extra “dark factor” that Juliet recognizes in herself. She is forced to struggle through grey areas, manage her relationship with her father and the two men in her life. Initially I was irritated with the potential love triangle factor, but be patient – it doesn’t ever get completely irritating and there is a resolution in a fantastic way. I’d highly recommend this book for fans of light horror without too much graphic details.
Warning: Contains violence
Rating: 4 stars!
Who should read it? Fans of the creepy without being too graphic.
Want to read the whole series?
Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman’s Daughter #2)
A Cold Legacy (The Madman’s Daughter #3)