The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Goodreads
420 pages, YA Paranormal Thriller
The Madman's Daughter #1
My rating: 3 stars

Synopsis

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 2 cents

This book was Creepy with a capital C.  Overall, I really enjoyed the thrill ride--I had no idea what was going to happen next!  There are so many secrets, and so many strange things going on, I had no idea who or what I should really be scared of!

While Juliet is fearing for both her mind and her life, she is also trying to deal with the fact that she is attracted to both Montgomery and Edward.  I had a lot of trouble, like Juliet, in picking which one I'd like her to end up with!  Towards the beginning, I was rooting for Montgomery, then later on in the story, it was Edward, then towards the end it was Montgomery again, then Edward....it kept changing based on what secrets Juliet kept learning about the island!  I really didn't blame her for her confusion!

I really enjoyed the basic concept of the story.  The characters, while strange, were very well done and well rounded.  Dr. Moreau....wow he is seriously one of the craziest, scary villians I have ever read about!  But he wasn't the only villain of the story...I don't want to give away any spoilers, but just when you think you have the whole thing figured out, the story throws in another twist!

My main problem was the ending.  I really, really did not like the final ending!  This is the first book in a series, so maybe things will eventually turn out a little better, but I seriously almost threw the book after reading the last page!  I think I will continue the series, because I really need to know what happens to Juliet!