The Madman’s Daughter audiobook

I loved this book! It is so twisted and crazy, and I really enjoyed how dark it is. It's been a while since a book has actually freaked me out a little and this one did that! It's just so weird and messed up, but I couldn't stop reading. I really love the writing and Juliet's voice. I felt sucked in by her story. There is a big love triangle, which I think turns people away from it. I personally enjoy love triangles and I think this one was done fairly well.The ending took my by surprise along with some other plot twists, and I can't wait to continue on in the series!

Wow! this book surprised me in the best way possible. So interesting and mysterious. A must read! And that plot twist at the end....gahhhh! On to book two!!

What a great twist on a classic story. The Madman's Daughter is a spinoff story for The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells. While you can read this book without reading the other, I encourage the reading of both. Especially to see where the inspiration for this book comes from. Some parts follow very closely the story of Wells' book and others quite different. In particular is Megan Shepherd's original character, Juliet.Juliet is the daughter the the infamous Dr. Moreau. She is 16 and orphaned on her own. Her father fled the country after information about his scientific experiments got out and her mother died several years later. From wealth to poverty and ridicule Juliet has not had the easiest life. Yet she is smart and educated. Quite knowledgeable in science, especially for a woman of that time. I must say I liked her inner strength and while she is may be unsure of her own "unlady-like" interests I simply find her ahead of her time.She runs into her childhood friend (and her father's assistant) Montgomery who informs her that her father is alive. Against his better judgement she insists on being taken to him. On their journey to the island they come across a man named Edward. And the three of them, along this Balthazar (Montgomery's assistant) go to the island. There things take a turn for the twisted. And anyone who has read The Island of Dr. Moreau know what I speak of. For those that have not, read it or this for more information. What I will say is that Dr Moreau is a very dedicated, and obsessed scientist. His experiments come above all else in his life. And that can come with unexpected prices for everyone.Dark, often psychologically twisted with some romance and madness thrown in this adventure. We get some borderline steamy scenes between Juliet and Edward and Juliet and Montgomery. Both men very different and both seem to have their own secrets. I could never trust either own of them and yet was drawn to learning more about them. Although my favorite character was Balthazar. Sweet Balthazar who is quite caring, protective and puts others above himself. While he is a minor character in the story he is a great one. And dear, innocent Alice, whom I wish I had gotten to know more in this book. Even Dr Moreau had qualities that draw you in. So I must say Megan Shepherd did an amazing job with each character.This story is very engaging, and well-written. Also thought provoking at times. Is Dr Moreau mad? The mystery behind each character keeps you guessing their intentions and what secrets they may possess. Who can Juliet trust? Each time you get a bit further, a new question to ask yourself arises. It makes for a very thrilling read. Overall, I highly recommend this book for older teens and adults. There is a bit of something for all readers although the love triangle romance does have the book geared more toward females. The is some action, adventure, creepy science and more to be discovered!

Okay, so do you guys remember when I read Shadow and Bone and I thought the plot was kinda cool, I liked the side characters, I liked the heroine - I got on board with her weird morality and can-do attitude - but I fucking hated Mal? (I'm writing this on my phone and iOS 10 actually just autocorrected 'Mal' to 'anal' which is basically the gist of it.) Well guess what.Round two. Motherfucking Montgomery.This tool. THIS guy. I swear to fucking god. I actually loved Juliet, because she spoke to me and I related to her and she was proactive and she deeply valued her friendship with another woman who was very different than her, but all of it is overshadowed by her completely bewildering infatuation with Montgomery.He is the absolute worst character in this book. He was agonising to read about. A little piece of me died every time he was mentioned. And he's so unnecessary; this book is so incredibly original (and extremely well-written, paced beautifully and very deft in its retelling of the 'classic' it's based on) but Montgomery is the typical childhood friend turned bland lover that we've seen about 16,000 times before in YA. There is nothing convincing about his feelings about Juliet or about her love for him. And it sullied my feelings for Juliet, because she was smart and sharp and sometimes brutal, but she let herself fall in stupid love with this dumb asshole. Juliet, pull your fucking self together! Fuck.In some ways, this book belongs to Edward; he is far and away the most captivating character. I loved him. He was dark and weird and sad, and I related to him, as strange as that sounds. He got me right in the feels, guys. The revelation concerning Juliet's nature felt a little flat to me - like, I was surprised, sure, but it didn't feel as shocking as I think it was meant to. But Edward? By god, chaps! That one knocked me right off my chair! This book was a nice deviation from your typical Victorian fare: there's nothing stuffy or boring aboutit, and I fucking hate the Victorians because they're stuffy and boring. I can't stand them. But this book feels...fresh. It feels sprightly and inspired and innovative. I like that it's morally grey and that its heroine has the capacity to be an incredibly kind person but also very ruthless as well. Juliet really, really grabbed me, guys. (Except when she was hanging around that fucking cock Montgomery. What a stupid prick. I want to punch his fugly face.)I moan, I bitch, I complain. I kid, too. This was actually an incredibly enjoyable read. Dark and twisty and not afraid to be itself. I seriously admire the author for reinventing not only a less well-known 'classic' but also for making it completely her own and by taking thematic risks. This book is not afraid to be gory and weird, and it doesn't shy away from brutality, or from questioning substantial themes like morality and humanity and the blurred lines of family, particular the unfathomable complexity of a father-daughter relationship. It was a nice surprise for me. So yeah. It was nice.Except for fucking Montgomery. Fuck off, Montgomery.

* Riveting beginning with fantastic scenes of horror * An uneven middle that I'd love to do all kinds of unholy surgery to, especially the over-emphasis on the uninteresting and rather tedious romance(s)* But saved by a great premise, awesomely freakish moments, solid writing, and a bang-up, untraditional ending. Author to watch! Review to come.

Well... The Madman's Daughter is clearly its own kind of disturbing! It's cruel and grisly--I kind of loved it! If you enjoy bizarre "mad doctor" stories, if you enjoy Gothic novels in general, then this book is for you!As a big fan of Gothic novels, I can tell you that they are much more than just a book. They stand out. Being able to write a good Gothic novel is an art in of itself. The biggest part of what makes them great is the rich atmosphere that they exude. If an author is able to create a story that sends shivers down your spine, thrusting you into every sinister nook and cranny of its setting, then that author will have my heart, and Megan did just that! It's the first thing I noticed when I started The Madman's Daughter, and it's what I loved the most about it. I could vividly picture this dark, eerie world filled with secrets that you just know are bound to both disturb and astound you. A mad scientist with crazy ideas and a whole island isolated from the rest of the world to create experiments… It's a good sign that you're going to get a lot of bat-shit craziness! You have been warned!The dark vibe in conjunction with a driven protagonist gives us the perfect combination for such a story. It would have been very unsatisfying had she been a damsel in distress; this story needed someone just like Juliet. Someone determined and intelligent. Someone who suspects that she, also, inherited a little madness from her father. Not batting an eye when you cut off the head of a (live) rabbit is a good sign of such a fact. But when she decides to go after the truth, she shows fearlessness and tenacity. Seeing her stand up to her father is exhilarating! I adored her character. I will admit I was not a huge fan of the romance, however. We do have a love triangle which I think was not especially necessary, but did amount to something at the end, at least. Neither boys were anything special to me, they never got into my heart as far as love interests. They were great characters though and I enjoyed the part they played in the story. Likewise, every side character in the book is wonderful and... unusual. They're either a scientific experiment or a little off in the head. Balthazar is my personal favorite. We meet him fairly early on and his disfigurement is only one part of his charm. What was the most disturbing for me, was how far my imagination would go when I started to think of these creatures. It's all kinds of messed up. I freaked myself out time after time! Get ready to meet some strange individuals!Going hand in hand with a great Gothic novel is the underlying mystery throughout the book. How far has the doctor gone? What is his big plan? What exactly are they so afraid of on the island? I was both amazed and terrified by this madness that surrounds not only the doctor, but the whole island and their inhabitants. I wasn't even disappointed when I caught on to the bigger twists before I was meant to. Although one of them is the kind of obvious that makes me think we were supposed to know. Regardless, the highly secretive and cryptic atmosphere is maintained all through to the end. With rich writing that propels you into this gloomy, unnerving island, separated from civilization without chance of escape, The Madman's Daughter is going to be a hit amongst those who love eerie Gothic thrillers with a side of grotesque!--An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

Official Rating: 4.8 Stars. This book is incredibly enjoyable, it is inspired by H.G Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau (which I have yet to read) However I still enjoyed reading this book a lot regardless :D The story is extremely unique and different, I'm so glad I picked this up. The plot was amazing though the beginning was a tiny bit slow, however towards the middle there were a lot plot twist. I won't say the plot twits were extremely shocking but it is indeed unpredictable. The other thing I really like in this book was the characters, the protagonist in particular I felt like she is an incredibly mature and stable protagonist. However there was one thing in this book that took away the 0.2 stars was the romance, though I won't say the romance was forced or I hated the love triangle but there were something about it I just did not enjoy. Overall I highly recommend this book for those who enjoy dark survival stories :D Full review: http://starstuckbooks.weebly.com/4-st...Buy book cheap online free delivery: http://www.bookdepository.com/?a_aid=...

3.5 starsEvery girl wants to believe the best of her father, doesn’t she? I barely remember mine, but no one could convince me he was anything other than perfect. Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau, once a proper young lady and now no more than a servant, is desperate to learn the truth of her father, the man who abandoned her and her mother and left them to starve. When her father’s former servant and now assistant Montgomery shows up in London, Juliet talks him into taking her to her father, on a remote island full of monsters and peril. While on their way, they rescue a castaway, a young and dangerously attractive gentleman, and he ends up joining them on the island. Juliet is torn between the two men, but more than that, she struggles with her feelings towards her father. Is Dr. Moreau the monster everyone believes him to be? Or is he just a misunderstood scientist, like many brilliant minds before him?Having read The Island of Dr. Moreau ages ago, I had a pretty clear idea of what to expect from this book, but I didn’t know how far Megan Shepherd would take it, and let me tell you, she took it pretty far. The Madman’s Daughter has more than its fair share of grotesque creatures, doctor Moreau’s almost-people with scales, antlers and everything in between. Some are more intelligent, some barely a step above their true form, but all of them are deformed in one way or another. What the good doctor lacks in compassion, he makes up for in sheer brilliance – no sane person would want to go anywhere near his crazy factory, but one can’t deny that the results are pure genius. A painful bellow tore through the night. I kicked the sheets off, swear pouring down my neck. Was it the sheepdog? I didn’t know any creature that could make such an ungodly sound. As the screams dragged on, haunting my every breath, my mind started to wander to darker and darker places. Wondering what could cause an animal to scream like that. Juliet father, apparently clueless to the situation he’d left her in, expected her to be the lady she was raised to be while he was still a London doctor and a respected member of the society. This I found to be the utterly unbelievable, more unbelievable than the creatures he was creating. That he would not know, I can believe. That he wouldn’t want to know, I’d even expect. But that Juliet wouldn’t lash out and tell him instead of subjecting herself over and over again to his condescending sermons, I simply refuse to accept. Here is the culprit, the man who abandoned her, left her to the mercy of others, essentially forced her mother to prostitute herself and then killed her, all to chase wild experiments and create abominations on a god forsaken island. Above all, I don’t see how or why Montgomery wouldn’t explain to him the condition in which he found Juliet when he arrived to London. It makes no sense to me. Whatever it was – his new discovery – it had consumed him enough to abandon everything else in his life. It was more important than his reputation, his wife, even his daughter. Which brings me to Montgomery and his weird case of Stockholm syndrome. He was Dr. Moreau’s servant and the only one the doctor didn’t abandon, but as nice as that sounds, he’s the one who got the short end of the stick. Forced to help Moreau with his crazy experiments, he grew up surrounded by monsters, with not a human in sight. Since he'd never known anything but the life had with the crazy scientist, his almost blind obedience to Dr. Moreau was certainly understandable, but it made him a very lousy love interest. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why Juliet would be attracted to him. Yes, at first there were the childhood memories, that link of two children who suffered through a trauma together, but as the story progressed and Montgomery continued being the doctor’s punching bag, a servant in all but name, that initial draw should have faded, leaving nothing but a clear image of a man with no backbone behind. However, Juliet continued to find excuses and endless justifications for Montgomery, and although they were mostly true, they should have invoked pity, and not passion.Edward the castaway was a different story altogether. Juliet was equal parts uneasy around him and attracted to him. Yes, he was intriguing, but she sensed something was not quite right with him. And yet, unlike Montgomery, he was a proper gentleman, and therefore fitting for Juliet, which got him a full support from her father.The big plot twist towards the end wasn’t completely unexpected, but I still liked the way it was handled. It increased my overall enjoyment (and my rating) and made me more excited about the second book, despite the fairly disappointing ending. Megan Shepherd has a talent for writing horror, which makes me especially glad that we’ll see two more books in this series. I just wish she’d stay away from tropes altogether, and far, far away from love triangles.

Wow, I did not see that ending coming. If you can look past a very cliché and unnecessary love triangle, I can actually highly recommend this! It's a twist on the classic The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells and it's full of suspense, eerie atmosphere and some surprising twists and turns. I already got the sequels and I can't wait to read them, since they're based on two of my favorite classics - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein!

Chilling, compelling compliment to H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau.

This is a young adult novel with a love triangle. You have been warned. “Edward and Montgomery were suddenly both by my side, each taking an arm.My face burned as I looked between them. Two boys, two sets of hands on my wrists. One rough and calloused, the other strong yet smooth. My emotions knotted tighter, threatening to cut off my circulation.”I picked it up knowing this and expecting the above because I was seduced by the plot. The “madman” is actually Dr. Moreau. Yes, that Dr. Moreau. The one who, in my dreams, creates these lovelies:Dr. Moreau was basically run out of town and his reputation ruined after his nefarious experiments came to light. He abandoned both his wife and young daughter and high-tailed it to an island. Flash-forward a few years and Juliette is now a teenager eeking out a living as a maid. She stumbles across some evidence to the location of her long-lost father and, though she is haunted by memories of him, he is the only family she has left and she sets off an adventure to track him down. She may wish she had never found that first clue before it’s all said and done . . .I really enjoyed most of this book. It has a very well done sense of place and maintained its creepy gothic “what the heck is going on” atmosphere throughout. The love triangle was unnecessary and I didn’t give a rats patootie about it but I’m too old to care about teen crushes and flip flopping between handsome boys. I wanted more gruesome surgery scenes but what is here was enough to make me happy. “To me, blood smelled like home.”I liked Juliette. She fears she is too much like her father; cold, a little blood-thirsty, perhaps, maybe even a little mad. She is very honest in her thoughts and I found this realistic as well as refreshing. She was the only character who really captured my attention. There are many twists and turns and secrets to be revealed and I was surprised more than once at a few of the reveals but if I’m being honest it was way too long. Probably 80 or so pages too long. The backdrop, the horror (quite repulsive at times) and the evocative writing elevates this above most of what’s out there and the ending was perfect. If this interests you check it out. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Let me just start by calmly asking...What in the name of all that is holy was that ending?!Oh my poor heart...how could you! Full review to come but for now...ouch!I had a day to mull it over and decided to hell with it! 5 stars! I struggled slightly with this protagonist, normally it's quite easy to slip into their mentality and journey with them along their adventures, but this was much harder, Juliet is very separate from her emotions some times, viewing them almost clinically, at times when I wanted to be a little sick, avert my eyes from a scene I wasn't actually viewing, she would get closer, curious and needing to inspect the situation, regardless how grotesque. This book was quite nicely written, inspired by HG Wells; The Island of Dr. Moreau. Juliet Moreau is the daughter of Doctor Moreau, having believed him dead for some time following a scandal involving rumours of vivisection and worse..this story follows her journey to finding her father, and the truth, consequences be damned.Edward well.. I had an inkling, to the point that when some truths were revealed, it wasn't too much of a shock, but still! Montgomery..oh Montgomery you beautifully damaged man, I want to keep him, protect him from the island and it's madness, but in the end, perhaps he was too much a part of the island to be protected from it's darkness.I'm not sure if I would read it again, but I'm going to keep it on my bookshelf just in case.

Dark, strange, mysterious, intriguing, and twisted are all words that I would use to describe this book. It was the perfect October read! I absolutely love the atmosphere of this book. The setting added so much to the feeling of the overall story. I don't think if it was set in present day and another place that it would have the same effect. The book had an ominous feeling throughout and you could just feel that things weren't going to end well. There were no happy endings in this story. The characters were very interesting. There was Juliet's father, Dr. Moreau, a deranged, cold, and completely unhinged man of science; Montgomery, the Moreau family's ex-servant, Juliet's best childhood friend and love interest, as well as Dr. Moreau's assistant in all things; Edward, a handsome castaway with a mysterious past and strong affection for Juliet; and the creepy deformed islanders with different levels of intelligence and morals. I enjoyed reading this story through the main character, Juliet's perspective. I loved that she acknowledged the little bit of darkness inside of her, the part that reminded her that she was indeed her fathers daughter. Despite that, Juliet was not a bad person by any means. She was inquisitive, smart, and compassionate. She was not however, a dainty, innocent, young girl. She was determined, brave, and she stood up for herself even when others may have ran or given in. Juliet had seen and experienced enough in her life to know the darker side of man. She was very wishy washy when it came to her love interests, but I wasnt bothered by that too much. The plot was well paced and kept me interested for the duration of the story. I did not see the twist at the end coming which was refreshing because I usually do. The ending made me want to immediately go out and buy the next book. I can't wait to see what else is store for Juliet in the next installment in this series.

Intense to say the least! I can't even believe that ending! I loved this!