Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Madman's Daughter
    The Madman's Daughter
    The Madman's Daughter
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Madman's Daughter

    Written by Megan Shepherd

    Narrated by Lucy Rayner

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    For fans of Libba Bray, this first book in a gothic suspense trilogy is inspired by H. G. Wells's The Island of Dr. Moreau and has been hailed by New York Times bestseller Carrie Ryan as having ""beautiful writing, breakneck pacing, a pulse-pounding mystery, and an irresistible romance.""

    Following accusations that her scientist father gruesomely experimented on animals, sixteen-year-old Juliet watched as her family and her genteel life in London crumbled around her—and only recently has she managed to piece her world back together. But when Juliet learns her father is still alive and working on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the old accusations are true. Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward, Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's insanity. 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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 29, 2013
    ISBN9780062246110
    Author

    Megan Shepherd

    Megan Shepherd was "born" into the book world, growing up in her parents' independent bookstore in Western North Carolina. She is the author of THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER trilogy. When Megan is not writing, she can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains.

    Related to The Madman's Daughter

    Titles in the series (2)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Horror For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Four Poems

      May 1, 2019

      We found ourselves to be quite fondof the ad campaignundermining late-stage capitalism: how the sprightly old womankept bursting into private conversationsat the candlelit restaurant and shouting, You can’t eat nickels!!and then doing that little hip

      3 min read

    • Article

      Dark Tales

      Dec 2, 2021

      Dark Tales
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of Secretion

      May 5, 2022

      The Art Of Secretion
      8 min read

    • Article

      ‘The Divines’: Featured Fiction from Ellie Eaton

      Jan 19, 2021

      An excerpt from a debut novel Booklist calls "sharp and haunting." The post ‘The Divines’: Featured Fiction from Ellie Eaton appeared first on The Millions.

      13 min read

    • Article

      The Man I Should Have Married

      Dec 29, 2019

      The Man I Should Have Married
      11 min read

    • Article

      Draw Me

      Jul 5, 2023

      Draw Me
      2 min read

    • Article

      Diary of My Leg Hair

      Dec 8, 2022

      Diary of My Leg Hair
      21 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Portrait

      Mar 1, 2018

      I WAS BORN almost completely deaf, and by the time I was seven I had already become a prisoner to my education. In the morning, I had speech therapy and tutoring with Mr. Bishop. We sat at my family’s long dining-room table, which was always covered

      9 min read

    • Article

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary

      Jun 17, 2020

      Mrs Macarthur’s Secret Diary
      7 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      Estella’s Fate

      May 17, 2023

      Estella’s Fate
      7 min read

    • Article

      Towns Like Ours

      May 3, 2018

      Towns Like Ours
      9 min read

    • Article

      Seedlings

      May 6, 2021

      Seedlings
      9 min read

    • Article

      Haunted

      Sep 27, 2023

      Haunted
      6 min read

    • Article

      Time Invents Us

      Sep 29, 2020

      Time Invents Us
      14 min read

    • Article

      Equinox

      May 18, 2022

      In this strange world, where identities change with the rising and setting of the sun, supernatural forces are at work – and they’re causing trouble… St Leonars prison was an appropriately imposing building. It rose out of the surrounding shacks and

      5 min read

    • Article

      The White Fox

      Oct 13, 2017

      The White Fox
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Perfect Match

      Apr 5, 2021

      It’s my sister’s fault that I’m standing outside a hair salon on the Saturday of my anniversary, too scared to go in. I’m not sure I was this nervous on my actual wedding day. Androulla had been bugging me for months that my look needed “updating” an

      7 min read

    • Article

      The Leather Coat

      Apr 4, 2024

      The Leather Coat
      6 min read

    • Article

      Announcing The winners Of Our FLASH CONTEST

      Feb 29, 2020

      I sever the first two fingers of my left hand on a Tuesday. They fall to the ground at my feet, causing a momentary confusion as I wonder what tree has dropped this odd fruit. Then I see the crescent scar left behind by a fish hook and know that thes

      8 min read

    • Article

      Tomorrows

      Mar 15, 2022

      The night, as most nights, was like a dream. At ten, once I’d fed the dog the last scraps off the stove. Once I’d cursed the cat for scratching up my mama’s antique furniture, then welcomed him back into my arms. Once I’d slicked my hair into a ponyt

      26 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Penny

      Jul 2, 2020

      Penny
      6 min read

    • Article

      Foxes

      Jun 15, 2019

      What’s worth happening happens in deep woods. Or so my daughter tells me. Her plotlines: In the deep woods someone is chasing, someone else is getting hacked. Hatchets are lifted, brought downdowndown. Men stutter blood onto snow. A cast of animals—s

      17 min read

    • Article

      Mrs. Robinson

      Dec 10, 2022

      “Do you think she will like me?” The question slipped from between my lips and hung suspended in the air. My gloved hands were in my lap, and I was wringing them. As the carriage conveyed us and we neared my new husband’s ancestral home, Ashby Hall,

      20 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Madman's Daughter

    4/5

    79 ratings54 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I got a copy of this book to review through Netgalley(dot)com. Thanks to Balzer and Bray and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This was an engaging and disturbing young adult retelling of the Island of Dr. Moreau. Juliet Moreau is struggling to make a living as a maid; years ago her father disappeared and not long after that her mother died of cancer. Then Juliet hears rumors about a strange doctor staying in a nearby inn and sees copies of her father’s drawings. When she goes to investigate she finds the her father is not dead as thought, but merely on a deserted island continuing his questionable medical studies. She travels there with her childhood friend and Dr. Moreau’s assistant, Montgomery, and finds things more horrific than she could ever have imagined.Excellent young adult retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau. This story has a bit of a gothic/thriller type feel to it. The mystery unravels slowly. Those who are familiar with the Island of Dr. Moraeu won’t be surprised by what Juliet finds when she goes to her father’s island but you will be surprised as the mysteries surrounding Juliet herself are revealed.The book is beautifully written and very well done. There is a bit of a love triangle here, which I am not a huge fan of. Still it was decently done.Juliet is a strong character that is easy to admire and engage with. The other characters on the island are similarly interesting. You are constantly wondering why Montgomery continues to work for Dr. Moreau and what Edward’s mysterious background is. There is just a lot of mystery hidden within all of these characters.The plot is very engaging and there are some huge twists in the story which caught me by surprise. There is also quite a bit of medical talk in the book since Juliet has been learning from all of the medical books her father left behind, I enjoyed this as well.The book is definitely best for young adult and older. There is an attempted rape scene, torture, and rather gory maiming of animals...just a heads up to be ready for some disturbing gore.Overall I found the book very hard to put down and very engaging. It was a fantastic read. The enjoyed the mystery and the twists and turns the story took. I also enjoyed Juliet, she is a strong female lead with some interesting aspects to her personality. I strongly recommend to fans gothic horror, who don’t mind a somewhat disturbing read.
    • 4/5
      Due to copy and paste, formatting has been lost.The Madman's Daughter is one of those books that I just knew that I would like. And for once, well, I was right. I did really like this one, and for me it wasn't very predictable. But I've never read The Island of Dr. Moreau, so this was a completely new experience for me.I found Juliet to be a very...interesting/completely out of it character. She has ideas about things that just drive me absolutely mad. *I have developed a british accent in my head after reading this* At first her illness seemed really odd, but as some of the details about her father started to fall into place, it was like I suddenly figured it all out. And once I figure it out, I really wanted to beat some sense into Juliet. For instance, if you've read The Island of Dr. Moreau, you understand this: but there are natives on the island. And there is only one woman, a teenager, that Juliet deducts came on a boat...but. There are natives. She never even wonders where they came from? Really. I guess it kind of makes sense (her ignorance) for that time frame...but girl. People don't come from storks.There are several other things that bothered me about her powers of deduction too, but for the sake of spoilers I won't reveal them. The island was so strange! When we first got there, I was questioning everything. I wanted to know about the past, and why and just everything. But the more I read, the more that it just got weird and twisted. Juliet thinks that what she did at the beginning was unnatural, but I disagree. What her father was doing was unnatural. And weirdly shocking.As the story wore on, a couple new characters were introduced. And some had pasts that I never would have suspected. My face was like this by the ending: O.O All in all, it was a really good story, but I can't shake the feeling that it could have been a little better.
    • 5/5
      I read the other reviews and I don't think I can add a thing to give more information on the story. I will say that the book is a very entertaining and extremely fast moving piece of fiction. The cover said that the book was for people thirteen and up - Well it is full of sadism, violence, vivisection and gore. So, I guess 13 and 14 year olds will love it. It is over 400 pages but is easy to read and the pages just fly by. Foe a first time author this is an exceptionally good piece of writing.
    • 1/5
      The science...so bad. The heroine...so bad. This is like, three steps backward for feminism, and for science. And I am SO SICK of love triangles. Everything about this was just ugh.
    • 5/5
      After her prominent father, Dr. Moreau, is publicly shamed, he flees London, leaving Juliet and her mother to fend for themselves. After her mother dies, Juliet is forced into hard labor. A chance meeting with a childhood friend named Montgomery makes Juliet aware that her father is alive and living on an island. Juliet accompanies Montgomery to the island and enters the bizarre and brutal world of Dr. Moreau. It wasn’t until after I read this book that I found out it was supposed to be a twist on The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. AND I don’t think I even really read the book’s description beforehand so I went in pretty blindly. That being said, I really, really enjoyed this book. The characters were well-developed and the setting was beautifully described. There were twists and turns, excitement, adventure, and romance on every page. I wasn’t expecting the beasts on the island so that was an imaginative surprise for me. The story kept me riveted until the last page. A few critiques: First, I absolutely love a strong, rebellious heroine. It’s just that Juliet didn’t fit into the time period she came from at all. If a story is going to be historical fiction, it has to stay in those constrains. I felt she was a bit too liberal for the era she was raised in to be believable. Also, there were times when I didn’t like her. I just didn’t. Second, the love triangle didn’t work for me. Edward never even felt like a contender. It would have been just as suspenseful to have Juliet and Montgomery figuring things out between themselves. Third, I found out this is yet another trilogy. Ugh. This is a personal pet peeve that there are so few standalone YA books now! And this one most definitely could have been a standalone (even though the ending is a cliffhanger).
    • 4/5
      First of all I'd like to say that I just finished this book and my heart is STILL racing.

      Here's what I enjoyed about the book...It's fast paced and really easy to read. I wouldn't even notice that I had already read a whole bunch of chapters because of how quick it reads. I like the writing style, to an extent. I enjoyed the occasional medical words thrown around throughout the story. I loved the creepiness, and the darkness that lingered in every corner. It was SO suspenseful, and there were so many twists I was all wound up. I kept wanting more and more, I literally could not book this book down. And there was a love triangle! That's always good. I loved the references with Shakespeare and other writers/classic literature, and I absolutely ADORED how they tied in with the end and all those wonderful twists. I also enjoyed how Juliet would defend herself and how feisty she could be, occasionally, which brings me to....

      What I disliked about the book...Juliet kept switching from being strong, assertive, and independent, between being weak, fragile, and practically a damsel in distress. I was like "girl make up your mind, can you fend for yourself or not??" I also disliked that she was very repetitive, mostly in the first couple chapters. The same things kept popping up, "Everything changed since the scandal...After all I am my father's daughter...Were the rumors true?" I kept rolling my eyes every time she would repeat one of those phrases, I was so sick of it. And as much as I love a good love triangle, at times I was pretty bored of it. That's another thing I kept rolling my eyes about. One thing that I wish I could have known more of was how the doctor was really making these creatures. What was his method? How did he manage to create "the monster" (sorry I don't want to spoil it for you guys.) And how exactly did Montgomery manage to create such a near perfect human? Lastly, I hated the whole dilemma Juliet had between thinking her father was a madman, and also wanting to succumb to her own madness. I guess it was good for her character, but I feel like it could have been written better.

      My favorite characters were Balthazar, Alice, and Edward. I liked Balthazar because he was just so innocent and docile. He was gentle and kind, I wish I could hold him in my arms and read him a book. Alice was also sweet, and so full of wonder. SPOILER ALERT...KIND OF...I wish Alice would have had a happier ending. It broke my heart...but I understand why it had to be done. And Edward...Oh Edward. His character was SO well written. He makes my heart swell because wow, that character was one in a million. His mysterious past, his secrets, his love for Juliet, and how it all ended. I loved it. It was perfect. He was perfect.

      The reason I am giving this book four stars is because as much as I LOVED it, not just really liked it, those flaws that I listed were way too annoying. They almost ruined the whole experience for me, and I occasionally wanting to stop reading the book. I'm glad I didn't though, because in the end I really enjoyed this novel, it just wasn't absolutely perfect and deserving of five stars. I will be getting my hands on the sequel as soon as I can because I refuse to be happy with how it ended. I want to know more, I crave it, yet I'm very curious as to how the story could continue, especially since the third book in this series will be released soon.
    • 5/5
      I watched the old movie "The Island of Dr. Moreau" when I was very, very young, and it left a deep, creepy impression on me. The idea of animal/human mixed creatures freaks me out to this very day. But what freaks me out also draws me in, which is why I picked up The Madman's Daughter with such glee. This is told from the perspective of Juliet Moreau, the long neglected daughter of the infamous doctor who disappeared from London years ago. When Juliet's mother dies, she finds herself in dire straights, especially after she defends herself against a rape attempt by her employer. By accident (?), she runs into her father's young assistant in London, who confirms that her father is alive and well, that in fact the assistant is in town for a much needed provisions for the island that Dr. Moreau has been living and working on. Angry and disillusioned, but hoping that the rumors (and some of her memories of him) are not true, she convinces the assistant to let her go with him back to the island . He's the only family he has, and she has no where else to go. He reluctantly agrees. She sees bits and pieces of the cargo that is loaded on the less than reputable ship--strange animals and other puzzlements, but still clings to her feverent hopes of a joyous homecoming with her father. I'm guessing that I don't really have to say that that is not exactly what happens. This book is creepy and terrifying at times, at others there is a love story or two weaving in the shadows. It's fantastic read, and it seems that it MIGHT be a trilogy (this is unconfirmed). Juliet is a wonderful character, you'll want to meet her as long as you don't scare too easily. Whaaaa haaaa haaaa haaa.
    • 2/5
      I was very excited to read this book, and see a new take in The Island of Dr. Moreau. Unfortunately the real plot was about a Victorian love triangle.
    • 4/5
      Who can resist an evil scientist running amok on a remote island, creating monsters from humans and animals? The Madman's Daughter is a fun, adventure read that is surprisingly put together well. Romance is typically a boring plot line in my opinion,and though there is some of it in this novel, it doesn't drag down the overall pace. Throughout the story there are surprises revealed about the creations/experiments,leaving open the question about what humanity really means to a soul.I look forward to the next installment.
    • 3/5
      I liked this just fine, but didn't super love it. Wasn't so crazy about the love triangle, though the story and pacing were quite good.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed reading this one.
    • 5/5
      The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd is a first in series, inspired by the classic, The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells. Thankfully, I was not familiar with H. G. Wells story so everything was a new experience with nothing to compare it to, and found myself constantly trying to figure out who was truly mad. There are a lot of uniquely odd characters that made the story very much of a thrill ride and the creep factor was amazing.
      I have never read anything like The Madman’s Daughter. Seriously. That alone made it worth the read. On top of that, the twists were unbelievable. You will have a hard time guessing the outcome, and the ending came as a shocker! I can hardly wait for the next installment.
      Be prepared to go into this one with an open mind. Considering the story line, there are areas where it is so out of touch with reality that it is hard to buy, but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
    • 2/5
      A story set in 1890s (?) London, it's told from the point of view of Juliet, a young empoverished teen girl. She survives without her genteel mother (died) & her "banished" famous father scientist, Henri Moreau, by cleaning at the medical hospital where her father once was an esteemed teacher and surgeon. From page one, Juliet is threatened by a creepy doctor who pretends to look out for her, but has more carnal designs. Then her well off friend Lucy takes her to a "forbidden" party, both of them unescorted amid a group of Lucy's cousin Adam & friends, all medical students. Lucy dazzles them with her knowledge of the human skeleton and accepts a wager to sneak back into the medical building, & find a skeleton. However, they actually stumble on a group of students performing an vivasection experiment on a rabbit, in spite of the university's prohibition against it- to Juliet's horror she recognizes the notes they're consulting are her father's. The lurid details are provided, I assume, for drama's sake, but this author's constant references to Juliet's thoughts, past, etc makes it clumsy at best. Juliet chops off the rabbit's head to end its agony and shocked, Lucy drags her out. And all in two short chapters- in between these plot details we learn Juliet's fears about being more like her father- a cruel, logical scientist, and not heeding her mother's voice, a gentle, well reared upper class woman forced to take on a "male caller" after her father left them behind (having fled the country because of his illegal medical activities). And this is only the start - Juliet tries to seek out the "doctor" the medical students had admitted had given them the diagrams, thinking her father might be back in the city. She gets "abducted" by a heavily bearded strange man, & in this process, re-discovers Dr. Moreau's longtime servant and lab assistant, Montgomery. Montogmery fills in some details about what's become of her father; needing to leave London, she insists on sailing w/Montogmery on a ship to the remote island where her father has relocated, hoping to reunite with him. During the journey, a boat with a shipwrecked, almost dead young man is taken aboard, and with Juliet's medical assistance, nursed back to health. Edward has a mysterious past, only admitting that he's fleeing a domineering father, a general on a tour of duty, and not eager to reunite with an aristocratic family back home. This is chapter ten.... Needless to say, the plot twists and turns continue, including meeting her father again on his jungle island, experiencing the strange, somewhat deformed staff who serve her father in his compound, and trying to decide if she could actually help him. Very quickly, via a dark, foreboding lab building, she discovers to her horror(but all the hints/details about Dr. Moreau provided throughout the book doesn't surprise us, so why her?) that he has continued to pursue strange, unholy experiments on animals to make them human-like. Edward and Montgomery circle her -as expected- while Juliet expresses in breathless prose how she is attracted to both and can't decide if and who she loves. Juliet's constant mental handwringing and angst over every emotion she feels, told in overblown descriptions and distracting metaphors became tedious. There's some real tension about how and when the three main characters will escape off the island, but with 45 chapters total (a bit much for my patience level) and at 360 pages it probably would be a challenge to all but the most devoted of teen (girl) readers. And yes it ends with a surprising (albeit unrealistic) twist, a cliffhanger that will be continued with her subsequent books in this series.
    • 4/5
      I read this in just under 4 hours??????

      Why hadn't I read it before??? A re-imagining of "The Island of Dr Moreau". Creepy as hell. A lot more action than I was expecting, and it really sucks you along from one chapter to the next.
    • 4/5
      I have very mixed feeling about this novel. Juliet Moreau, the main character, seems to end up in an even worse situation at the end of the story than she was in at the beginning. This story is supposed to be inspired by the H. G. Wells' story The Island of Dr. Moreau which I have never read. The setting in Victorian England and an isolated island off the coast of Australia. I thought the world building was well done as the story just drips Gothic darkness. However, I did have some problems with the science fiction aspects of the story and the timeline. When Juliet reaches her father's isolated island, he has populated it with his experiments, but according to Juliet's age when he left England and her age when she reached his island, only six years have passed. Even insane dedication, which Dr. Moreau clearly possesses, would find it hard to accomplish what he is supposed to have accomplished. The descriptions of the surgical reconstruction of animals to make them more man-like and the combinations of species and the injections to change the brain move this well out of science fiction and into fantasy.Juliet has a lot to deal with in this novel. Since her father's abandonment and the scandal that accompanied it and since her mother's death, her situation in London is dire. She is working as a cleaning maid in the medical school and being harassed by one of her father's former colleagues. When she sees one of her father's anatomical drawings and learns that one of the medical students bought it from a guy, Juliet begins to think that her father has returned to London. When she investigates she meets Montgomery who was a servant boy and who was Juliet's childhood companion. She convinces him to take her to her father when he returns.They pick up a shipwreck survivor during their sea voyage and bring him to the island too. This is the basis for the required young adult love triangle. Juliet loves Montgomery who feels unworthy of her regard and her father is pushing the shipwreck survivor, Edward Prince, at her due to his supposedly higher social status.Conditions on the island quickly devolve as Dr. Moreau's creatures are getting out of control and some unexplained murders are taking place. All the while, Dr. Moreau is still in his own dream world where everything is all right and he is still focused on his experiments to create his perfect creature.Readers who enjoy historical fantasy will enjoy this Gothic thriller complete with a mad scientist, a troubled beauty, amazing creatures, and a romance too.
    • 3/5
      Overall I just found this book to be okay. I thought I would like it a heck of a lot more than I did. Was it creepy? Oh yes. This book is pretty messed up at parts, but with it's inspiration, I don't know how one could assume otherwise. I did like Juliet and the characters, but there was just something about the book that did not draw me in. It's a bit of a bummer for me, but I don't think I'll be continuing this story. If you like a good, creepy, gothic-type story I would recommend this one though. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      My goodness, where should I even start when talking about Megan Shepherd's The Madman's Daughter... I suppose I could start by saying that I picked it up while reading Ann Radcliffe's The Italian, which was published in 1797 and is considered one of the very first Gothic thrillers. Reading these two novels while simultaneously researching the Gothic novel as a genre gave me an interesting vantage point from which to view The Madman's Daughter as a Gothic novel and, I think, in the end, it may have deepened my love for Shepherd's debut (and for The Italian, which was boring me to tears at the time)!The setting and atmosphere of a Gothic novel is of utmost importance. In fact, the setting is so important it must act as a character itself. For me, the island where Juliet's father has been secretly living and conducting his "research" more than fulfills this requirement. From the moment Juliet learns of the island (and meets the islander accompanying Montgomery, her father's assistant), the reader knows this isn't going to be an island with gorgeous white-sand beaches and hammocks casually strung between trees. While the island's history isn't explored in extreme depth, the reader knows that it is no stranger to misfortune and, perhaps, even sinister death. Plus, it's the home of a mad scientist who was run out of London after performing horrid experiments on living subjects... it's hard to imagine such a man living in a bright, sunshine-y place.The Madman's Daughter might remind readers of Frankenstein as it deals with themes of science versus nature, experimentation for the purpose of creation and life, the meaning of humanity and life, and features a scientist that believes he is doing something good, but whose opinion may be a tad (or a lot) biased. One of the things that I absolutely loved about this novel was how often it made me question: is this wrong? Some of the experimentation itself is wrong, but, after Juliet learns what her father is doing, essentially merging and manipulating different parts of animals to create humanoid creatures, she refers to them as monsters. While I do see how such creatures could be viewed as monstrous, I also grew to care deeply about many of them as the novel progressed. At more than one point, I was actually moved to tears as these creatures suffered. I get a little bit weepy just thinking about it now, weeks after reading. As far as Juliet's father is concerned, I have very strong negative feelings. Though, as a product of the 21st century, I'm not sure that I see his scientific mind and quest for innovation as mad, I definitely still see him as a madman on many other levels. He may have begun as a scientist searching for truth and knowledge, but, by the time the reader meets him, he's off-his-rocker-crazy. The power has gone to his head and, for someone who is obsessed with the secret of creating life, he cares very little about preserving life. Still, after some secrets from Juliet's past are revealed, I couldn't help but take a longer look at Dr. Moreau and consider what he might have been like before.The Madman's Daughter also incorporates some very pro-feminist vibes as Juliet fights against a very anti-woman world, culture, and father. She strong, determined, and courageous despite nearly everything being stacked against her. She rebels against her father who sees her primarily as something to use and manipulate and secondly as a burden to marry off. She doesn't take no for an answer when Montgomery tries to prevent her from going to the island nor does she accept the simple answers she's given when she knows there's much more to be learned. I can't imagine any reader calling Juliet Moreau weak.And, to round out an already fantastic plot, there's more than enough romance to satisfy readers who like their heroine's distracted by a guy while fighting their mad father and considering philosophical questions about humanity. In fact, there's a rather intense love triangle featuring two very unique men... but following this tangent would require multiple paragraphs and more than a few spoilers.I could go on and on about The Madman's Daughter, but I'd say it's in your best interest to read this fantastic novel yourself.
    • 4/5
      Simply put, The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd is an eerie, bold, and captivating piece inspired by the classic The Island of Dr. Moreau. The intriguing premise unfolds into this beautiful and addicting story with strong characters, shocking twists, and a romantic love triangle in a frightening and dark world.Summary:16-year-old Juliet Moreau lived a comfortable life in her family's mansion on Belgrave Square. But after her father's scandal and banishment from London, she struggles to make ends meet and works as a cleaning maid at King's College. Upon a surprise reunion with her former servant Montgomery James, Juliet travels to a remote island to search for her father, Dr. Henri Moreau, who was once a famous surgeon and physiologist in England. Soon, she learns the horrifying truth behind crazy rumors about her father's experiments and is also torn between her feelings for Montgomery and Edward Prince, a charming yet mysterious castaway.My Thoughts:The book starts off in an intense and fast pace. It was creepy but interesting. I think Shepherd did a great job at building a Gothic Victorian setting, and she was able to capture the essence of the scary and spooky island. The story was very enthralling for the majority of the storyline, with a slightly boring and uneventful transition that leads to some surprising revelations and discoveries at the end.It was so fun to read about these characters, especially for Juliet, who is a strong and dynamic heroine. She was somewhat irritating and doubtful when it comes to her romantic dilemma between Montgomery and Edward, but she is still a very likable and awesome protagonist. She is also extremely intelligent and smart, a rare quality that is not quite common among YA female characters.The love triangle was probably my least favorite thing about this book, and I was happy to find that it isn't a dominate theme in the story. What I did really liked was the mad doctor. It's a very well written, complicated, and provocative character. Unlike most villains, Juliet's exiled father is actually quite sophisticated and perplexing yet also cruel and ruthless at the same time. Combined with the dark and mysterious island setting, Shepherd was able to add an alluring but chilling vibe to the entire story.Half way through the book, I knew that this was going to be amazing, but the unpredictable twists at the end are just brilliant and well crafted. There are some gruesome scenes in the story, but for those who can stomach these, this is a truly incredible book.
    • 1/5
      Set in England, but the heroine uses American English. English Juliette wouldn't see a frown as involving a person's mouth, for example, or say "two hundred six". And she's way too obsessed with her clothing. Gave up after chapter one.
    • 5/5
      OMG it was MORBID.

      but it was an okay novel for me... I liked Edward and I DO NOT THINK he's dead, nor is Juliet's father.
      and the ending... HOW COULD YOU Montgomery!!!!! Why choose those beasts over Juliet?! UGH!
    • 5/5
      After finishing this book, I'm completely floored by it. The book left my emotions in shambles and I want more. Alright, so the beginning of the book is a bit confusing. As the reader, your placed right into the story and it takes a few chapters before you settle into the story. The good thing is the author did a great job of giving the history if Juliet little by little as she tries to find her father. Once settled into the story the rest flows like butter. It's get better and better with each chapter. You begin to suspect that not all it what is seems and the horror of it all captures you in its hold. The love interest! This is one of the first books I read so far that actually did NOT end on a happy ending. And you know what? That's great! It definitely left my mind and heart shattered but so wanting more. Seriously, when he changed his mind at the last minute, my heart broke. I felt every emotions in my wake and burn. It was UGH! I did not want to turn the last page, knowing what it held for me. The Madman's Daughter is a superb story that you must read. It may start off shaky, but DAMN does it blow your mind. It's extravagant and wonderful, The Madman's Daughter is HOTT!
    • 5/5
      4.5/5 stars.Out all of HG Wells' works, "The Island of Doctor Moreau" takes the cake. So many YA books have been rewriting/retelling old classics and fairy tales, and now, we FINALLY have a retelling for my favorite HG Wells tale. "The Madman's Daughter" is an absolute delight for those who love the Gothic genre, as well as the biopunk genre. This one definitely caught me unawares and is nothing less than a stunning debut from Shepherd. And while I feel like this book definitely has an end to it, I can see where there might be room for two more books in this trilogy. Hopefully there won't be any middle book syndrome for book 2, though!Right from the jump this book sucked me right in with it's deliciously dark world of 1890s London. You can call this a kind of prequel-type of retelling, leading up to the actual events as recorded in the original "Island", with a more fleshed-out version of Moreau, starting with our MC, Juliet Moreau, now struggling to stay afloat after the scandal that drove her father to his Island in the South Pacific and destroyed her family. The worldbuilding is absolutely fantastic in that Shepherd manages to build not one but two very different worlds - that of London in all of its shabby finery (especially the medical school where Juliet's father used to work, where she now works) and the Island itself. To create one world is hard, but to create two? That's harder, and Shepherd does it spectacularly. The first third of the book is in London, and the last two thirds on the Island, so you can see why two different worlds had to be built. The comparisons one has to make between "civilization" and "the jungle" just in the worlds themselves, as well as creating the entire Island to be a second antagonist (something that I love when authors can do it right - and Shepherd did it right!). And this couldn't have been done without Shepherd's surprisingly great handle on lush, and at times, gruesome, sensory imagery and language. I mean, wow. She totally blew me out of the water with it, and with all of the YA I've read, I've found that increasingly hard to do. She turns an original biopunk tale into a Gothic one, though still manages to keep that biopunk feel. Her crowning achievement, however, with this amazing skill of hers in the sensory department is most definitely the Island, where she turns it into a second (aforesaid) antagonist. This Island is not her friend. The creatures on it are not her friends. Her father is most definitely not her friend. And Shepherd is able to achieve this - both enriching her worldbuilding and creating the Island as a second antagonist - with such vivid imagery that there were times I had to put down the book to catch my breath due to nausea with the medical scenes. I mean, wow. Now, yes, there is a love triangle going on. And while I'd usually be screaming bloody murder on how I'm tired of these in YA, Shepherd manages to get away with it by making Edward and Montgomery her two choices for the future, and the Island has become her fork in the road. If she goes with Edward, does this mean she'll go back to human civilization? Or with Montgomery, will she stay on the Island, creating mad experiments with her father? Both of these boys are stand-ins for her two very different futures that she must choose between. And by choosing one boy, she chooses one future. Shepherd makes this very clear by the last third of the book (or so) - that these boys are more than they seem, not just as characters, but as metaphors, too. And I love when authors manage to aim for this goal of turning characters into possible futures - moreso, I love it when they actually manage to do it. And Shepherd does it fantastically.Finally, the characters. Each one, no matter how big or small, is utterly unforgettable. Juliet, Montgomery, her father, and Edward are the big four (okay, six if we include Alice and Balthazar) that come to mind. Each character felt so incredibly real that at times, reading this book was surreal. Each character is very solidly built, incredibly polished, and will definitely stick in the reader's mind long after the last page is finished. Juliet is no wilting violet, and I love my Gothic heroines feisty, so all of this really worked for me. And while I shook my fist at the love triangle (even if it is a metaphor, in the end), I still enjoyed every minute with these characters. Final verdict? While I see a definite "end" for this particular book, there's plenty of material to continue building off of from the original HG Wells novel for two more books in this trilogy. Definitely one of my favorites of 2013 so far, this is an absolutely gorgeous book to add to the newly revived YA canon and the fairy retellings genre. "The Madman's Daughter" will be available from HarperTeen on January 29, 2013, so definitely check it out then. And be sure to check out the blog on January 22nd for my stop on the blog tour!(posted to goodreads, shelfari, librarything, and birthofanewwitch.wordpress.com)
    • 3/5
      I mostly enjoyed this one. It read a lot slower than most of the books I've been reading lately. It had a dark gritty feel to the horror aspect. I kept waiting for her to realize that she was the same as B and should stay on the island too if she thought all of her father's experiments should stay. Overall, not super fantastic, but I will read the next one.
    • 4/5
      4Q, 4P. The writing wasn't amazing, but it was pretty good. I think that the plot of a girl ending up on her mad scientist father's island would be appealing. I enjoyed it. I had read "The Island of Doctor Moreau" a few years ago, so I thought that this would be interesting. It is inspired by that story, so it doesn't actually follow the events of the whole book, which gives it the freedom to go where it wants to a certain extent. It a fun, dark read. I had to wonder how Juliet, the main character, could be constantly thinking out her love life in the midst of so much danger, but I appreciated that she was a strong female character. I liked that it does still ask one of the central questions of the original: does the fact that science can do something make it right?
    • 5/5
      Juliet Moreau has gone from being a proper young lady, the daughter of London's best surgeon to being a maid, barely getting by, an orphan. She also has to live with knowing that her father, the man no presumed dead, ruined not only his reputation but their family's when he was accused of horrible crimes in his role as doctor.Presumed dead, Juliet's father disappeared never standing trial for his crimes. Filled with her childhood memories of a caring father, Juliet has never entirely believed the tales of his crimes. Despite his absence and the hardship it has caused her, when possible evidence of not only the doctor's mortality, but nearness appears, Juliet has no choice to follow-up.Who and what she finds is more than shocking.More than a little timely, as well.When the meager life Juliet has managed to scrape together for herself threatens to fall apart, knocking her even farther down the social ladder, there is an option for her.To find her answers, Juliet will travel to a remote island and learn more about herself, her father, his supposed crimes, and the actual island than she ever could have expected.I did not know all of what The Madman's Daughter was about before I started reading. I knew it was a Gothic set in the nineteenth century. Then it started with these two lines: "The basement hallways in King's College of Medical Research were dark, even in the daytime.At night they were like a grave."While I'm sure you can find better opening lines, I'm particularly fond of these. Pair them with the title and the cover and knowing that Juliet is the daughter of a man who used to be England's top surgeon and now, presumed dead, is accused of horrible crimes -- and she's a cleaning the Medical College?It makes for a story that I really, really enjoyed discovering as I read it. I loved not knowing the twists and turns as they came. Even not knowing the big plot points ahead of time was really fantastic. (Which is why there are less in my synopsis than the publisher one, but it is available on Goodreads.)One of the things that made this such an absolute stand-out novel for me was the way author Megan Shepherd is able to transport a reader to the world she has created. Yes, a lot of novels do use more descriptors, are more elaborate in the way they set up scenes, but not for a better end result.It has been a long, long, long time (if ever) since I have read something that so fully draws you into the story that when you stop reading, it's a surprise to see your own surroundings and not those of which you were just reading. It feels like you should look up and see the island all around you.Not only that, other scenes between characters feel so real, so charged that it draws you in and you can picture it -- a bunch of adjectives or no.It's also great that the 'Victorian sensibilities' aren't forgotten. Little things come up at different points i the story that seem to keep it in the time period and not only because of their clothing and lack of electricity. I really appreciated the way the era effected the story and characters.While some of the revelations towards the end were not wholly unexpected, others were more surprising and they, along with the character development, character interactions and tension made the last third of the book my favorite.I'm excited to read numbers two and three in this series. (I am also now interested in The Island of Dr Moreau by H.G. Wells which inspired this novel, a story I hadn't given much thought to before, honestly.)(advance copy received from publisher)
    • 3/5
      Even though I (mostly) knew what was coming the entire time, The Madman’s Daughter really built up suspense well. It’s the kind of book where there’s a lot of build-up in the middle of the book and it all culminates in a downright exciting last 70 pages. Even though I saw all the twists coming(which was a little sad, since I heard so many good things about the plot twists in this book), it was just such a heart-throbbing journey to get to that point. The plot is the best part of The Madman’s Daughter–well-executed, great timing, and thrilling.

      Juliet is a really bold female character for most of the book. She does things that are not taken lightly in her society. She’s shown to be smart, capable, and resourceful. She’s a character ahead of her time and it shows through. The other characters recognize this and sometimes chastise her, but she does what she wants anyway. Which is great. . . until it involves her love interests, which is where the book lost some of it’s great potential for me.

      There’s a love-triangle in this book, and it is not done well. I’m of the rare opinion that I actually do like love triangles if they’re well-done; so much so that I have a Goodreads shelf dedicated to this. The Madman’s Daughter did not end up there. I see no merit to the love triangle at all. The two love interests just weren’t different enough for me, and while I enjoy some book’s romance, the entire time Juliet was kissing either one of them or thinking about it I was thinking, “Enough! Stop kissing! You have a whole island of horrifying/exciting around you. I want to get back to that!”.

      At one point I thought I was going to have to put The Madman’s Daughter back on the shelf because of the horrifying factor, but once I got past one particular part it was definitely do-able. I will admit to skimming certain paragraphs to cut down on the blood–because there is a lot of blood in this book. It isn’t all that scary or gross, but it’s just. . . everywhere. I have a really weird thing with blood. I don’t mind giving blood or seeing my own blood, but I really hate seeing/reading/hearing about other people’s blood, so that’s definitely something I picked up on and something I’d be aware of if you have a similar feel as I do.

      The best part of this book was the last fifty pages–excitement abounds and the ending is . . . I don’t know what it is, but it’s the type that sticks with you. I saw the twists coming, but I did not see the ending coming and it’s the kind of ending that makes you want more immediately. A cliffhanger, but not one that felt overly gimmicky to me.

      Final Impression: The Madman’s Daughter does a pretty good job of maintaining a Gothic feel. I enjoyed Juliet’s character and her force of will, but I thought the love triangle was by far the weakest point in the book and brought it down a lot. It takes up too much time, it’s not well-done, and the book would have been more exciting without it. The plot was well-executed and left me wanting more. I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequel, but hoping that the love triangle disappears all together(unlikely, but I will continue to hope). 3/5 stars.
    • 4/5
      Brilliant Doctor or Mad Scientist?? If you've ever read H.G. Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau, then you'll recognize this book as a spin-off from it. The Madman's Daughter is told from the point of view of Dr. Moreau's daughter, Juliet. The story focuses on how Juliet deals with her fall from high society after her father's scandal and subsequent disappearance. Juliet was very young when the scandal happen so she doesn't really know what to believe and isn't sure exactly what happened to him so she sets out to find out for herself....

      I thought it was a pretty good alternative to the original story. It has a dark, gothic feel to it with a little romance and a little gore. What really got me though was the ending. It was one of the biggest twists I've read recently and it hit me like a ton of bricks because I did not see it coming at all. I also didn't realize this was a trilogy when I started reading it but I'm glad it is, after that gut wrenching ending. Thankfully, my hold on the second book, Her Dark Curiosity, is ready for pick up tomorrow. My stack just keeps getting bigger and bigger instead of smaller.
    • 1/5
      A young girls father abandons his family after he was found to be a mad scientist. Later her mother dies and she looses her job. Upon learning that her father is alive and on a remote island she travels there to find a couple suitors and creatures that have no names. This books doesn't have a fairy tale ending. Even the last two pages will blow you away.
    • 3/5
      This book sounded so awesome. A dark and gritty premise about a mad scientist who continues his work on a remote island. Sounds good, right? For some reason I was thinking it would be something like Shutter Island, but it's not, or wasn't for me. Me and The Madman's Daughter had a very roller coaster type relationship. Very up and down. I was enjoying it for the most part in the beginning. But then Edward came into the story. I obviously didn't read the summary very thoroughly because I didn't realize there was going to be ANOTHER boy involved other than Montgomery. I didn't see the point in Edward, other than another love interest for Juliet, which made this one big love triangle.Now, usually love triangles don't bother me. It doesn't keep me from reading a book. I actually enjoy love triangles. But this one didn't work for me and made it difficult for me to enjoy the story most of the time. I would have enjoyed the The Madman's Daughter a lot more if it only focused on Montgomery and Juliet's relationship because I liked them as a couple and I was rooting for them the whole time. I was enjoying the story when it was just those two. Don't get me wrong though, Edward does give more to the story towards the end as we learn his side of the story, but I figured out his big secret about halfway through. Which is not a good thing for this book, because when I figured it out, I was hoping I was wrong. But I won't go into that anymore because I don't want to spoil anything. I did really enjoy reading about Juliet's dad and what he had created while on the island. It was really interesting to see how these animal creatures saw him as a god and how they lived. I also LOVED Balthazar and his relationship with Montgomery. These two were the reason I really continued to read. I felt so sorry for Balthazar and I just wanted to hug him even though he is half dog half sheep or whatever. And I loved Montgomery because he cared for all the weird animal creatures and became friends with them. I'm not quite sure how I feel about Juliet though. Sometimes I really enjoyed her and like how she was a strong character who did things here way. But then other times I found myself not really caring what happened to her. What I wasn't prepared for, though, was the scenes were animals were being operated on, while they were awake! I am a big animal lover, I don't do books or movies where I know the animals die. I just can't do it and I don't like it. Therefore, you can bet I was somewhat upset when about 50 pages in, Juliet has to chop off a rabbits head to get it out of it's misery because she caught some boys operating on it. I did get used to it though, and came to expect it, so it wasn't too bad as I went on. The Madman's Daughter also moved a little slow for me. I think part of this had to do with the fact that I didn't like Edward, so whenever he was in a scene, I lost interest. I also skimmed a few pages towards the end because I wanted to actually get to the good stuff.So, I don't think this review is making a lot of sense, but that sums up my relationship with this book. At one point the story would be very interesting, but then a while later, I would find it to be kind of dull. Also, THE ENDING! The ending makes me all kinds of mad and nobody should be allowed to end a book that way. I don't know if I hate the ending or love it.
    • 2/5
      The idea of this story both fascinated and horrified me, but I did not like Juliet. She was so irritating, saying the same things about herself over and over; I pretty much understood her after the rabbit incident. The love triangle was weak and distracting, but Montgomery was dreamy in a sick sort of way. I heard it's going to be a movie; if that's true, I think it will be much better than the book. Seriously doubt I'll read the rest of the series.