We know some of you are tired of the "pretty dress" covers, but we were drawn to this one because it seemed as though she may be a bit mad herself. Megan Shepherd is a first time YA author who has chosen to put a new spin on a classic. This is becoming quite a trend and we are excited to see many authors going beyond the expected Austen or Bronte selections.
The Madman's Daughter begins in London where we meet Juliet Moreau. Yes, as in Dr. Moreau- the one with the island filled with mysterious creatures brought to life by a scientist trying to play God. After being abandoned by her father in the midst of a scandal and orphaned by her mother, Juliet is trying to keep a low profile working as a maid at the medical college. One evening after work, she accompanies some new friends into the facility where she witnesses a gruesome operation. Recognizing the procedure as one of her father's experiments, Juliet is convinced that he is in the area and she is determined to find him.
Tracing clues to a local tavern, Juliet discovers not her father, but instead Montgomery James a childhood friend who has become Dr. Moreau's assistant. Try as he might, Montgomery is unable to convince Juliet that life in London is better than with her father on a remote island. Juliet has questions about the scandal, her mother, and herself that only her father can answer.
While sailing to the island, they rescue a cast away named Edward Prince. Half dead and unable (or unwilling) to share his tale, the three eventually arrive at the mysterious island where Juliet is reunited with her father. The doctor is not exactly welcoming and as Juliet begins to investigate what he has been working on, she realizes that the rumors of her father's madness are true. To further complicate things, her infatuation with Montgomery and new found interest in Edward, will cause her to disregard her own intuition as she tries to choose between the two.
Her arrival disrupts her father's experiments and control of the island causing a mutiny among the creatures. Abandoning her desires to understand her father's work, Juliet tries to convince Montgomery to leave the island.
This is the first in a trilogy and it has quite a cliff-hanger ending. We wanted to give it an 'A' grade, but we can't get past the switch from tough survivor to Bella esque like character that Juliet becomes for a good portion of the book. We also couldn't understand why Shepherd felt the need to spend sooooo much time on the ship to get to the island. We still think this one is worth your time regardless of whether or not you have read H.G. Wells's Island of Dr. Moreau. No rush- book two won't hit our shelves until January 2014.
Next Up: Keeping the Castle by Patric Kindl- Mar. 15th
No comments:
Post a Comment