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The Madman’s Daughter #2
Her Dark Curiosity
To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.
Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.
As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.
As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.
With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.
Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.
As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.
As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.
With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves.
422 pages, Hardcover
First published January 28, 2014
About the author
Megan Shepherd
30 books2,727 followersNew York Times bestselling author Megan Shepherd grew up in her family’s independent bookstore in the Blue Ridge Mountains. She is the author of several young adult and middle grade novels. She now lives and writes on a 125-year-old farm outside Asheville, North Carolina, with her husband, two cats, and an especially scruffy dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,054 reviews
August 30, 2016
“Compassion?” he hissed. “Why would you have sympathy for a monster?”*minor spoilers for the first 1/3 of the book*
“Because we’re not so different!"
The main character makes some dangerous, questionable choices.
She is desperate for answers. She makes some extremely risky decisions.
There is romance.
There is a love triangle.
I REGRET NOTHING. NOTHING, YOU HEAR ME?! Call me a hypocrite. I don't care. I freaking loved this book. The writing is fantastic. The characters are wonderful. The mystery kept me guessing.
This would be one of those situations in which enjoyment trumps sense. This is by no means a perfect book, but I loved it, anyway. What can I say? It's chemistry. Sometimes it just strikes. If the previous book in this series was a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, this book is a retelling of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
I could barely put this book down. It was packed with action from the first moment to the last. This book has a Jack the Ripper-type murder in an awesomely creepy Victorian gaslamp era setting. The main character is strong, she makes mistakes, but she is strong, she is determined, and I am solidly on her side.
There is an awesome supporting cast of characters, including strong female friendships. There is no girl-on-girl hate in this book. Can I get a motherfucking yeah? YEAH.
I know there are people who hated this book because of the love triangle, because of the sometimes TSTL actions of the main character. I know that, I recognize that, but it did not affect my enjoyment of this book.
I regret nothing.
The Summary: It is a year after Juliet left her mad scientist father's island, the island with the creatures, crafted from bits and pieces of other creatures---Frankensteins, if you will. Edward is presumed dead, Montgomery has abandoned her. Her father is dead, she is alone in the world.
Her new life is a good one. It is far beyond what she could have ever hoped. She is now a proper young Victorian lady, living a sheltered life. By a twist of fate, her father's childhood friend, Professor von Stein heard about her plight. He takes her in, acts as a guardian. He is a gentle, quiet, compassionate man. Professor von Stein is the father Juliet wishes that she had. It is a good life, but unbeknownst to the professor and all who know her, Juliet is leading a double life.
By night, she sneaks out of the house to a suite which she rents with her own hard-earned money grafting flowers. She uses her alternate home to conduct experiments to save her own life. Juliet is sick---she has the symptoms of diabetes, gout. She suffers from shakes, pain. The serum that her father made her has decreased in its efficacy as she has grown older. Juliet is desperately trying to create a new serum that will save her life.
It really is not a bad life at all, until Juliet's past comes roaring back to the present.
People have been getting murdered on the streets of London. The murders appear to be connected. The bodies have been shredded to pieces by what looks like claws."
"They’re calling him the Wolf of Whitechapel on account of how he carves up the bodies. One of them had a purse on him and a gold watch, but the murderer didn’t touch it. Wasn’t interested in anything but tearing that man apart like an animal.”There's something strange about the murders. The murderer has left a tropical flower on every body he kills. But Juliet knows there's something more to the murders, something that connects her to them.
Four. I knew all four victims.The victims all had wronged Juliet at one time or another in the past.
And in turn, I realized, I had been victim to each of them.
It is Edward. Only it is not Edward. Edward has a duel personality, himself, and what he calls The Beast. Edward is a gentle, kind man. The Beast kills.
The Beast writhed on the floor, caught somewhere between man and creature in the midst of a transformation. He was doubled over in pain as claws slid into his bloody joints and then out again. His back buckled and strained as the two sides of him fought for control. In one instant he was the Beast, snarling and furious; in the next he was Edward, reaching out a hand toward me and trying to form words, and then back again.Edward's Beast is getting harder and harder to control. He is no longer able to hold back his need to kill. Edward needs Juliet's help to find a cure, and she is sympathetic to his cause, for she knows the feeling of desperation. Of loneliness.
“We’ll find the missing ingredient, and we’ll get rid of the Beast.” I realized how desperate my voice sounded. Desperate for him, or desperate for me, now that I had someone in my life who shared my secrets?But Edward's secret is not all that's at stake. Old friends, old lovers come back into her life. Her father's past comes to haunt her; Juliet has more enemies than she knows.
The Characters: Juliet is not perfect, I would venture to say she is TSTL at times, but I found her to be such a convincing, sympathetic person. She is desperate. We hear that over and over, and I understand it. She is so lonely, she carries so many secrets from the past that she can share with no one, because really, would anyone believe her? "Hi, my name is Juliet, my father is a mad scientist/Dr. Frankenstein wannabe who craft humanoid creatures from animal parts on a deserted island." Not exactly the sort of stuff you go telling people about at tea parties, is it?
She holds so many secrets, and it is those secrets and her loneliness that drives her to sympathize with the monster that is Edward/The Beast. She knows perfectly well that Edward is a monster, but she sympathizes with him anyway. She sometimes feels like she is a monster herself. Juliet sometimes has urges...but unlike Edward, she keeps those violent tendencies bottled up.
This is what had fascinated me about him—monster and man sharing the same breath—and now it terrified me.Juliet is fucking dumb sometimes, but she realizes it. Her stupid choices are made out of desperation, and sympathy for Edward, and I forgive her for it.
Well, I could be a monster, too.
I leaned my head back against the worn wood of the stairwell, eyes closed, uncertain if I was making the biggest mistake of my life by helping a murderer, or if I had found the one person in the world who understood me.She is strong, and she is willing to do what it takes to rid London of a murderer, even if it goes against her nature.
If we couldn’t strangle the Beast out of him, if there was no way to separate the two, then I’d kill him myself.Edward himself was such a well-rounded character, his split personalities well-drawn. The jealous, murderous, raging, seductive Beast versus the gentle creature who wants nothing more than to be a man.
You’ve always had that animal inside you, stirring, since you were an infant. It’s been more of a friend to you than any of those girls who titter behind their fans in church. You’re afraid that if you rid yourself of it, you’ll be hollow. A shell of a person content to let the days pass in boredom and chores, never really feeling, never truly living. Not like how I live."I loved the supporting characters in the book. They feel real to me; I understand them and I like them.
There are other female characters in the book besides Juliet, and both Lucy (her best friend from the first book) and Elizabeth are very well-rounded, strong female supporters. I loved that about this book. There is no hate on any of the female characters.
The Setting: Dark, dank Victorian-era setting. We are caught between upper-middle-class tea parties and the slums, as Juliet lives her other life. It is a beautiful setting, just detailed enough not to be intrusive, and I really loved it. There were some inconsistencies and some unbelievable parts in the book, like the use of fingerprints, and the shipment of flowers from other countries (come on, this is Victorian England). But other than that, the setting felt fitting for the atmosphere of the book.
The Romance: Love triangle. It was well-done, I felt that the love triangle played a good role in the plot, and dare I say, I enjoyed it?
It really did play a part in the plot. Edward's jealousy, more specifically, The Beast's jealousy, was vital in the plot.
"I won’t let anything, or anyone, come between us."Seriously, I regret nothing.
His pupils were already starting to elongate. In moments the Beast would fully emerge. He leaned close enough that his lips grazed my earlobe. “I won’t let you go.”
November 3, 2015
I loved the drama in this book, there was so much going on! The plot has so many twists and turns, it was hard for me to put the book down. I also love the thought-provoking ideas in this story revolving around science experimentation and morality. I just found the story fascinating and I love the setting. I also really enjoy Juliet's character and reading from her perspective. With that said, her internal struggles can get aggravating and repetitive at times, but she definitely has reason to be confused.
The love triangle development in this book is very interesting and it surprised me.
I am so excited to see how this trilogy concludes!
July 5, 2018
So many thoughts are still swirling inside my head after finishing this book. Where to begin? Well, let's start with the obvious. I loved it! It has all the best of the first book but with some darker plots in motion. More danger, suspense and intrigue than The Madman's Daughter. While the first book is a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, this book brings us a twist an the famous tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! And during the blending of the tales, Megan Sheppard doesn't miss a beat!
**Warning: If you have not read The Madman's Daughters plot and character spoilers may be mentioned in this review. Turn away now if you have not read the first book and don't want anything revealed.
This book takes places a few months after Juliet is set adrift from the island. She has been found and taken in by the wealthy and caring Professor Von Stein. While her life may seem to have taken a turn for the better, they have not. She is ill. The serum she was taking is no longer properly working. She is hurt over Montgomery's betrayal to send her off alone and guilt is nibbling her about how she aided in the death of her father. Then former wrongdoers unto her are found dead and murdered!
Talk about a lot to take on at her age! Sheesh. Double (triple?) lives, secrets and then murder?! It does not help when she knows who the murderer is....
Edward and Montgomery are also in the city for this book. Edward needs help, Montgomery has become a hunter and there are other dark secrets roaming the city streets. This book has a lot of great suspense and intrigue. It is darker and more violent than the first in my opinion. And more mature.
The love triangle once again takes effect but it is so much more than just a triangle now...
Lucy plays a much larger role in this book than the first. At the beginning she seemed like nothing special. Just your average, rich girl of the age. But as the story progresses, she proves she is much more. Elizabeth is a new character we meet and I really like her. Compassionate and independent. And Balthazar is back too! I love him! He is a favorite for this series. He is so sweet and heroic.
Moving on to our leads... Juliet. While I love her for her on one hand she also gets a bit annoying with how she is constantly comparing herself to her father. I get it, especially for the time setting, but I also wanted to shake some sense into her. Edward seems sweet enough but when he is not, look out! And then there is Montgomery. I cannot make up my mind about him. I like him. He has done well for himself and cares for Juliet it seems but he has his secrets still and those secrets have me leery of him...
Overall, I am very impressed. The author has done a fabulous job recreating worlds and sharing them in a bold new way! The characters are all fantastic and well-written. The writing is engrossing and compelling! Hints are given to keep you going but nothing is given away. While the end does give you an idea for the theme of the next book, I have no idea what to expect. Potential theories yes but there are many ways to go. Now I must wait impatiently for the third book of the series...
*I received a free ecopy of this book from Balzer & Bray via Edelweiss, in return for a fair, honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.*
**Warning: If you have not read The Madman's Daughters plot and character spoilers may be mentioned in this review. Turn away now if you have not read the first book and don't want anything revealed.
This book takes places a few months after Juliet is set adrift from the island. She has been found and taken in by the wealthy and caring Professor Von Stein. While her life may seem to have taken a turn for the better, they have not. She is ill. The serum she was taking is no longer properly working. She is hurt over Montgomery's betrayal to send her off alone and guilt is nibbling her about how she aided in the death of her father. Then former wrongdoers unto her are found dead and murdered!
Talk about a lot to take on at her age! Sheesh. Double (triple?) lives, secrets and then murder?! It does not help when she knows who the murderer is....
Edward and Montgomery are also in the city for this book. Edward needs help, Montgomery has become a hunter and there are other dark secrets roaming the city streets. This book has a lot of great suspense and intrigue. It is darker and more violent than the first in my opinion. And more mature.
The love triangle once again takes effect but it is so much more than just a triangle now...
Lucy plays a much larger role in this book than the first. At the beginning she seemed like nothing special. Just your average, rich girl of the age. But as the story progresses, she proves she is much more. Elizabeth is a new character we meet and I really like her. Compassionate and independent. And Balthazar is back too! I love him! He is a favorite for this series. He is so sweet and heroic.
Moving on to our leads... Juliet. While I love her for her on one hand she also gets a bit annoying with how she is constantly comparing herself to her father. I get it, especially for the time setting, but I also wanted to shake some sense into her. Edward seems sweet enough but when he is not, look out! And then there is Montgomery. I cannot make up my mind about him. I like him. He has done well for himself and cares for Juliet it seems but he has his secrets still and those secrets have me leery of him...
Overall, I am very impressed. The author has done a fabulous job recreating worlds and sharing them in a bold new way! The characters are all fantastic and well-written. The writing is engrossing and compelling! Hints are given to keep you going but nothing is given away. While the end does give you an idea for the theme of the next book, I have no idea what to expect. Potential theories yes but there are many ways to go. Now I must wait impatiently for the third book of the series...
*I received a free ecopy of this book from Balzer & Bray via Edelweiss, in return for a fair, honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.*
February 9, 2021
3.5
CW: Gore. murder
Well I enjoyed this one a lot more than The Madman’s Daughter.
I think the character development was much better in this sequel and the plot more focused. This is a reimagining of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, with Juliet Moreau trying to get to the bottom of the gruesome murders that have befallen people she knows. As with the first book this is a YA gothic thriller and there are certainly some sinister characters prowling the streets of London. Juliet displays a lot more sense in this book and I enjoyed the feminist views being expressed in a Victorian society. An enjoyable sequel, shame about the love triangle.
CW: Gore. murder
Well I enjoyed this one a lot more than The Madman’s Daughter.
I think the character development was much better in this sequel and the plot more focused. This is a reimagining of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, with Juliet Moreau trying to get to the bottom of the gruesome murders that have befallen people she knows. As with the first book this is a YA gothic thriller and there are certainly some sinister characters prowling the streets of London. Juliet displays a lot more sense in this book and I enjoyed the feminist views being expressed in a Victorian society. An enjoyable sequel, shame about the love triangle.
January 26, 2014
Last year, I absolutely loved The Madman's Daughter. It was dark, atmospheric and suspenseful. It also ended in a brutal cliffhanger that had me raging and at the same time dying to read this second book. I had high hopes going into Her Dark Curiosity, but it ended up being so disappointing and I felt like it suffered from second book syndrome.
Juliet was someone I admired in the first book, but in Her Dark Curiosity she plain out annoyed me with her poor decision making skills. It was frustrating seeing her fluctuate between Edward and Montgomery. To be honest, it's not her fault. It's entirely the fault of the stupid love triangle. Juliet did things in this book that had me raging. At one point, despite being completely unsure of herself, she gives up her virginity to Edward right after he kills someone and is still drenched in blood. When she wakes up, she pushes him away and acts like a heartless bitch and tells him, she regrets everything and that she still has feelings for Montgomery. The next night, she meets Montgomery and begins making out with him and realizes that she still has feelings for him. Soon after, Montgomery proposes to her and he misunderstands her answer for a yes and doesn't bother correcting him. Her actions made me furious and I wished she wouldn't keep thinking about the two love interests so often.
Juliet's character left a bad taste in my mouth, which made it hard to enjoy the book in it's entirety. In the beginning, it felt like the romance and the love triangle suffocated the story line, but things did start to get better towards the end. Because this one had a different setting than in the first book, I also felt like the world-building wasn't as fascinating as it was the first time. Her Dark Curiosity lacked that intense and atmospheric nature that The Madman's Daughter. I was also quite disappointed with one of the twists being entirely too predictable. Regardless of all the issues that I've mentioned, I'm convinced that Megan Shepherd is a talented author because I did enjoy parts of the book. My only wish was that she didn't focus so much attention on typical YA tropes. She has the possibility of being one amazing author.
For the reasons mentioned above, I felt like Her Dark Curiosity paled in comparison to The Madman's Daughter. I'm still going to read the final installment because this did end on a fairly positive note.
January 28, 2015
THIS BOOK IS UTTERLY MAD a stunning sequel to The madman's daughter :D I ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED THIS BOOK maybe like 0.1 star more then the first one which is extremely rare as I tend to enjoy the first books in series a lot more :D This book continues to question my moral beliefs :) highly recommend, can't wait to read the last one!
Want to read
June 10, 2013HOLY FUCKING SHIT. That Cover.
Expected publication: January 21st 2014
Expected publication: January 21st 2014
December 18, 2014
haunting. gorgeous. a PERFECT sequel to book 1, and I am literally DROOLING for book 3. this is one of the best series ever! so creepy, so well written and imaginative, yet so believable. the author's writing style makes me want to die, it's so beautiful. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
Basically, book 3 starts out shortly after Book 2 leaves off. Juliet and her group is on the run, after the events that went down at the very end of book 2 (will not spoil it for those who haven't read book 2 yet! But it's BIG stuff, people!).
HER DARK CURIOSITY takes place in the most gorgeous, haunting setting, in the moors in Scotland! With OUTLANDER being a huge hit recently, fans of that show/series are going to adore this third book. Juliet and her friends, along with a very sick Edward, (and sexy Montgomery), find their way to their friend Elizabeth's castle. It's a rainy, cold night, and the second they get inside, they realize things are just...off. There are dark secrets within the walls of the estate, and things aren't what they seem.
The estate is full of young girls and women, and everyone acts very strange. Juliet picks up on key elements to each girl/woman that give away little hints about the secrets. It wasn't overly hard to figure out what was going on in this estate, but that didn't really matter to me.
This is, to be short, a retelling of FRANKENSTEIN--if you read book 2, you figured that out towards the end of the book---but don't think this story is going to turn out the way you expect. HER DARK CURIOSITY totally throws you for a loop several times. Once Juliet and her group start discovering the secrets to this estate, things get pretty dark pretty quickly.
Lucy, who I just LOVE as a side character, does some pretty crazy things that the reader doesn't expect. It's wonderful to see her develop more, and of course, we get some amazingly swoon-worthy moments between Juliet and Montgomery. (sigh, I just love them together)
Balthazar, one of my all time favorite characters in any series, gets lots of "page time", and I just love him to pieces. He's adorable as he has been throughout this series, and Sharkey, the little dog, is always by his side. We need a ship name for Balthazar and Sharkey...Barkey. Yepp. That's the one.
We also finally get some answers about some things that happened back in book 1, on the island where Juliet first connected with Edward/Montgomery, and those loose ends are tied up quite nicely for readers.
Overall, amazing ending to an amazing series. I'm sad to see it end, but I know Megan has a new series releasing in 2015. THE CAGE. Look out for that one, readers!
Basically, book 3 starts out shortly after Book 2 leaves off. Juliet and her group is on the run, after the events that went down at the very end of book 2 (will not spoil it for those who haven't read book 2 yet! But it's BIG stuff, people!).
HER DARK CURIOSITY takes place in the most gorgeous, haunting setting, in the moors in Scotland! With OUTLANDER being a huge hit recently, fans of that show/series are going to adore this third book. Juliet and her friends, along with a very sick Edward, (and sexy Montgomery), find their way to their friend Elizabeth's castle. It's a rainy, cold night, and the second they get inside, they realize things are just...off. There are dark secrets within the walls of the estate, and things aren't what they seem.
The estate is full of young girls and women, and everyone acts very strange. Juliet picks up on key elements to each girl/woman that give away little hints about the secrets. It wasn't overly hard to figure out what was going on in this estate, but that didn't really matter to me.
This is, to be short, a retelling of FRANKENSTEIN--if you read book 2, you figured that out towards the end of the book---but don't think this story is going to turn out the way you expect. HER DARK CURIOSITY totally throws you for a loop several times. Once Juliet and her group start discovering the secrets to this estate, things get pretty dark pretty quickly.
Lucy, who I just LOVE as a side character, does some pretty crazy things that the reader doesn't expect. It's wonderful to see her develop more, and of course, we get some amazingly swoon-worthy moments between Juliet and Montgomery. (sigh, I just love them together)
Balthazar, one of my all time favorite characters in any series, gets lots of "page time", and I just love him to pieces. He's adorable as he has been throughout this series, and Sharkey, the little dog, is always by his side. We need a ship name for Balthazar and Sharkey...Barkey. Yepp. That's the one.
We also finally get some answers about some things that happened back in book 1, on the island where Juliet first connected with Edward/Montgomery, and those loose ends are tied up quite nicely for readers.
Overall, amazing ending to an amazing series. I'm sad to see it end, but I know Megan has a new series releasing in 2015. THE CAGE. Look out for that one, readers!
January 13, 2015
“I stumbled back against the empty table, stunned. The thread slipped from my fingers, along with the spool of my sanity.
The murderer was the same. Somehow, even though I’d thought him dead, Edward had done this.”
This was a really good sequel, which this time turned into a real ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ kind of story!
I really liked Juliet in this story, and I felt sorry for her in the way her illness was taking over her life, and the fact that she had been abandoned by Montgomery. I did think she made some crazy decisions at times, and really pushed things at points, but it seemed clear that she was once again doing this to help other people. I knew that we’d definitely have at least one of Juliet’s beaus turning up in this book though, and yay(!) they both did!
“What secret?” I asked. When he didn’t answer I let the fork clatter to the floor and grabbed his suit lapel a little roughly. “What other secret was Montgomery keeping from me, Edward?”
“It doesn’t matter. You loved him, and he left you. I’d never do that to you. I’d sooner cut off my own hand than do anything to cause you pain.” My fingers were still coiled in the stiff fabric of his lapel, and he whispered, “If only you’d give me a chance…”
The storyline in this was really good, and we got quite a few twists and surprises! I liked the murder/mystery part of the story, I liked not knowing who would pop up next, I liked the little twists we got thrown with regards to Juliet’s father’s work, who Lucy’s new Beau was, as well as the question over what Juliet should do about Edward.
“I leaned my head back against the worn wood of the stairwell, eyes closed, uncertain if I was making the biggest mistake of my life by helping a murderer, or if I had found the one person in the world who understood me.”
I really liked the romance in this story too! The love-triangle certainly escalated in this story, with Juliet’s chastity a thing of the past, and even a proposal!
“I want to be just a man, that’s all, who isn’t marked with bruises, who can walk the streets without worry that he’ll kill someone.” He swallowed, as his hands again closed over mine. “Who can love you as you deserve to be loved.”
“Before I knew it, his lips found mine. He tasted of blood and sweat, and it twisted my insides into sharp angles. Tears started down my face but he kissed them away, cupping my cheek, trailing rough fingers along the smooth skin of my neck.
“I was so afraid I’d be too late,” he whispered into my hair. “I’d have torn him apart if he’d hurt you.””
The ending in this was so good! There was plenty of action, gunshot wounds, death, and once again it was time to flee! Really looking forward to book 3 now!
“Come with me,” I whispered, “I need you.”
The tensed muscles in his back eased. “You know I’d follow you anywhere. Though I fear we’ll both end up damned.”
"You wouldn't have abandoned me, and I'm not going to abandon you."
8 out of 10.
The murderer was the same. Somehow, even though I’d thought him dead, Edward had done this.”
This was a really good sequel, which this time turned into a real ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ kind of story!
I really liked Juliet in this story, and I felt sorry for her in the way her illness was taking over her life, and the fact that she had been abandoned by Montgomery. I did think she made some crazy decisions at times, and really pushed things at points, but it seemed clear that she was once again doing this to help other people. I knew that we’d definitely have at least one of Juliet’s beaus turning up in this book though, and yay(!) they both did!
“What secret?” I asked. When he didn’t answer I let the fork clatter to the floor and grabbed his suit lapel a little roughly. “What other secret was Montgomery keeping from me, Edward?”
“It doesn’t matter. You loved him, and he left you. I’d never do that to you. I’d sooner cut off my own hand than do anything to cause you pain.” My fingers were still coiled in the stiff fabric of his lapel, and he whispered, “If only you’d give me a chance…”
The storyline in this was really good, and we got quite a few twists and surprises! I liked the murder/mystery part of the story, I liked not knowing who would pop up next, I liked the little twists we got thrown with regards to Juliet’s father’s work, who Lucy’s new Beau was, as well as the question over what Juliet should do about Edward.
“I leaned my head back against the worn wood of the stairwell, eyes closed, uncertain if I was making the biggest mistake of my life by helping a murderer, or if I had found the one person in the world who understood me.”
I really liked the romance in this story too! The love-triangle certainly escalated in this story, with Juliet’s chastity a thing of the past, and even a proposal!
“I want to be just a man, that’s all, who isn’t marked with bruises, who can walk the streets without worry that he’ll kill someone.” He swallowed, as his hands again closed over mine. “Who can love you as you deserve to be loved.”
“Before I knew it, his lips found mine. He tasted of blood and sweat, and it twisted my insides into sharp angles. Tears started down my face but he kissed them away, cupping my cheek, trailing rough fingers along the smooth skin of my neck.
“I was so afraid I’d be too late,” he whispered into my hair. “I’d have torn him apart if he’d hurt you.””
The ending in this was so good! There was plenty of action, gunshot wounds, death, and once again it was time to flee! Really looking forward to book 3 now!
“Come with me,” I whispered, “I need you.”
The tensed muscles in his back eased. “You know I’d follow you anywhere. Though I fear we’ll both end up damned.”
"You wouldn't have abandoned me, and I'm not going to abandon you."
8 out of 10.
April 21, 2016
Juliet's back in London, and her new guardian is a kind and gentle man who is in turn a great father figure for her. Then dead bodies that are murdered in the same fashion as the island murders are showing up around the city. Juliet can't help but wonder if the beast escaped and has targeted her as its next victim.
What can I say about this book? Intense. Dramatic. Shocking. Thrilling. That's a good summary of what I believe this book to be about. Not only did Megan write a well written second novel, she made me more interested in her character's lives. That's something that's very hard to do and something I know lots of people will do. The mystery surrounding the murders fueled my need to know WHY. It was incredibly brutal how they were killed, and what goes on in the final scene is just so gruesome, I don't even like to think about it.
Now to the characters. I love how different Juliet is in this one. Her thoughts are just so incredibly dark and vindictive that I couldn't help but gasp at certain parts when she thought of them. She's also struggling with her thoughts only because she doesn't want to become as mad as her father. Yet there's that tiny part of her that relishes and it's scary as heck! Love for Montgomery is still there in her heart, but he's keeping secrets and I was dying to know what they were. I also enjoyed reading about a certain other lover of Juliet's, but I won't name him because it could be a potential spoiler. I just liked their banter and wit when they were talking to one another. It also helps that he understands her better than she understands herself. And lastly, my favourite character..Balthazar the sweetheart whom I find just so huggable and kind.
Overall, this book is easily devoured and there's also a hint to what retelling is next for this trilogy. More please?
What can I say about this book? Intense. Dramatic. Shocking. Thrilling. That's a good summary of what I believe this book to be about. Not only did Megan write a well written second novel, she made me more interested in her character's lives. That's something that's very hard to do and something I know lots of people will do. The mystery surrounding the murders fueled my need to know WHY. It was incredibly brutal how they were killed, and what goes on in the final scene is just so gruesome, I don't even like to think about it.
Now to the characters. I love how different Juliet is in this one. Her thoughts are just so incredibly dark and vindictive that I couldn't help but gasp at certain parts when she thought of them. She's also struggling with her thoughts only because she doesn't want to become as mad as her father. Yet there's that tiny part of her that relishes and it's scary as heck! Love for Montgomery is still there in her heart, but he's keeping secrets and I was dying to know what they were. I also enjoyed reading about a certain other lover of Juliet's, but I won't name him because it could be a potential spoiler. I just liked their banter and wit when they were talking to one another. It also helps that he understands her better than she understands herself. And lastly, my favourite character..Balthazar the sweetheart whom I find just so huggable and kind.
Overall, this book is easily devoured and there's also a hint to what retelling is next for this trilogy. More please?
April 5, 2020
Ilk kitaptan daha iyiydi benim için olaylar olaylar 🤭 eğer juliet kendini daldan dala atmasaydı salak olmasaydi daha güzel olabilirdi,iki kitaptir favorim Balthazar ❤
March 1, 2014
Oh my gosh! The first one was based on The Island Of Dr. Moreau and the second one is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde??? And I am *pretty* sure who is going to be playing the title role! AWESOME!!!
UPDATED THOUGHTS AFTER FINISHING
Well, well, well-- what a deliciously creepy, no down-right horror filled, sequel! Now I had some issues-- namely with a few of the characters. Some annoy me, some anger me, some I just plain don't trust AT ALL. But others were AWESOME. And this story-- the tie in of The Isle of Dr. Moreau with Jekyll and Hyde is so darn good that I can look past most of my grievances.
And you know what the icing on the cake is? I think the last book in this series-- and yes, we do find out by book's end which third piece of classic literature will be re-told-- I think is going to be the most kick ass of them ALL. Just as I felt after finishing THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER, I get chills just thinking about it:)
Full review very soon!
*UPDATED, UPDATED REVIEW*
Last year, after tearing through Megan Shepard's The Madman's Daughter, I was beyond excited to check out the sequel, which I knew was to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I thought Shepard did an amazing job tackling the classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, translating and expanding it into a wholly original young adult novel. And with The Madman's Daughter ending on a bit of a cliffhanger (well, maybe MORE than a bit) I already knew exactly who would be playing the title role in her Jekyll and Hyde re-imagining. So a big thanks again to Harper/ Balzer+Bray for letting me read Her Dark Curiosity—in many ways it totally lived up to my high expectations.
Anyone who hasn't yet read The Madman's Daughter might want to stop here because I'm about to spoil some major plotlines from that book (but don't worry, I'm not going to spoil any of Her Dark Curiosity.)
When last we left Juliet Moreau she had discovered that she was one of her father's first experiments and that he saved her life by transplanting animal organs and tissue inside her as a child. Juliet played a role in bringing about the destruction of her father's compound on a remote island. In addition she was a participant in her father's death when she allowed Jaguar (what a great character) into the burning lab to finish him off. Believing that she and her childhood friend and love interest Montgomery were going to escape together, Juliet was taken completely by surprise when he sent her off by herself, saying that he couldn't leave the other islanders behind while Moreau's experiments reverted back to their animalistic instincts and laid the compound to waste. The final scene depicted Juliet, alone and adrift in a rowboat, headed for the international shipping channel and subsequent rescue.
But wait! I'm leaving an important person out of this recap. What about Edward, Juliet's other love interest— who was revealed to be one of Dr. Moreau's most sophisticated and human-like creations and was also responsible for murdering countless inhabitants on the island when the beastly side of him took over? Well, Juliet thinks he's dead—but you know how it goes, no body, no proof of death. In other words, I never thought he was dead. And when the next book was revealed to be based on Jekyll and Hyde—I definitely knew who was going to be playing the title role.
Flash forward a year and Juliet is back in London. It seems that her circumstances have changed dramatically since she last lived in the city—a former colleague of her father's has taken her in as his ward and her days of scrabbling to survive appear to be over. She has renewed her friendship with London socialite Lucy. But the sins of her past won't let her go. She has nightmares about her role in her father's death. She has fitful dreams of Edward and Montgomery. And most distressing, the serum her father developed for her to keep her body from rejecting the animal tissue seems to be failing. Juliet is desperate to develop a new serum—and hopeful that she can find a lasting cure in the pages of her father's journal that she secreted from the island. Unbeknownst to her benefactor, Juliet works on a new serum at a shoddy flat she has rented out. And while Juliette inwardly relishes the chance to put her scientific skills to work, she also worries that her animalistic side will overtake her human side and she will ultimately descend into madness just as her father did.
Ok, so like Jekyll and Hyde there is a murder mystery at play in Her Dark Curiosity. Bodies are turning up around London bearing three distinctive slash marks in the chest area. Juliet realizes that these wounds are exactly like those that Edward inflicted on his victims back on the island. Bingo—you guessed it—Edward did not die and has somehow made it off the island and followed Juliet back to London.
Ok—so here is the thing about this book. There were parts that I really, really loved. And there were also parts that drove me crazy. Overall the good outweighed the bad—but I'm not going to sugarcoat it—there were times when I was reading, especially in the middle part of the book, when I was ready to toss it out the window. But I stuck with it and I'm glad. It's not a perfect book, it tested my patience, but I'm intrigued and invested in it at this point and dying to see how the final installment plays out.
So, what didn't work for me? Well I always like to start with the negative first and end with the positive, so here goes:
Read the Full Review
UPDATED THOUGHTS AFTER FINISHING
Well, well, well-- what a deliciously creepy, no down-right horror filled, sequel! Now I had some issues-- namely with a few of the characters. Some annoy me, some anger me, some I just plain don't trust AT ALL. But others were AWESOME. And this story-- the tie in of The Isle of Dr. Moreau with Jekyll and Hyde is so darn good that I can look past most of my grievances.
And you know what the icing on the cake is? I think the last book in this series-- and yes, we do find out by book's end which third piece of classic literature will be re-told-- I think is going to be the most kick ass of them ALL. Just as I felt after finishing THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER, I get chills just thinking about it:)
Full review very soon!
*UPDATED, UPDATED REVIEW*
Last year, after tearing through Megan Shepard's The Madman's Daughter, I was beyond excited to check out the sequel, which I knew was to be based on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I thought Shepard did an amazing job tackling the classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, translating and expanding it into a wholly original young adult novel. And with The Madman's Daughter ending on a bit of a cliffhanger (well, maybe MORE than a bit) I already knew exactly who would be playing the title role in her Jekyll and Hyde re-imagining. So a big thanks again to Harper/ Balzer+Bray for letting me read Her Dark Curiosity—in many ways it totally lived up to my high expectations.
Anyone who hasn't yet read The Madman's Daughter might want to stop here because I'm about to spoil some major plotlines from that book (but don't worry, I'm not going to spoil any of Her Dark Curiosity.)
When last we left Juliet Moreau she had discovered that she was one of her father's first experiments and that he saved her life by transplanting animal organs and tissue inside her as a child. Juliet played a role in bringing about the destruction of her father's compound on a remote island. In addition she was a participant in her father's death when she allowed Jaguar (what a great character) into the burning lab to finish him off. Believing that she and her childhood friend and love interest Montgomery were going to escape together, Juliet was taken completely by surprise when he sent her off by herself, saying that he couldn't leave the other islanders behind while Moreau's experiments reverted back to their animalistic instincts and laid the compound to waste. The final scene depicted Juliet, alone and adrift in a rowboat, headed for the international shipping channel and subsequent rescue.
But wait! I'm leaving an important person out of this recap. What about Edward, Juliet's other love interest— who was revealed to be one of Dr. Moreau's most sophisticated and human-like creations and was also responsible for murdering countless inhabitants on the island when the beastly side of him took over? Well, Juliet thinks he's dead—but you know how it goes, no body, no proof of death. In other words, I never thought he was dead. And when the next book was revealed to be based on Jekyll and Hyde—I definitely knew who was going to be playing the title role.
Flash forward a year and Juliet is back in London. It seems that her circumstances have changed dramatically since she last lived in the city—a former colleague of her father's has taken her in as his ward and her days of scrabbling to survive appear to be over. She has renewed her friendship with London socialite Lucy. But the sins of her past won't let her go. She has nightmares about her role in her father's death. She has fitful dreams of Edward and Montgomery. And most distressing, the serum her father developed for her to keep her body from rejecting the animal tissue seems to be failing. Juliet is desperate to develop a new serum—and hopeful that she can find a lasting cure in the pages of her father's journal that she secreted from the island. Unbeknownst to her benefactor, Juliet works on a new serum at a shoddy flat she has rented out. And while Juliette inwardly relishes the chance to put her scientific skills to work, she also worries that her animalistic side will overtake her human side and she will ultimately descend into madness just as her father did.
Ok, so like Jekyll and Hyde there is a murder mystery at play in Her Dark Curiosity. Bodies are turning up around London bearing three distinctive slash marks in the chest area. Juliet realizes that these wounds are exactly like those that Edward inflicted on his victims back on the island. Bingo—you guessed it—Edward did not die and has somehow made it off the island and followed Juliet back to London.
Ok—so here is the thing about this book. There were parts that I really, really loved. And there were also parts that drove me crazy. Overall the good outweighed the bad—but I'm not going to sugarcoat it—there were times when I was reading, especially in the middle part of the book, when I was ready to toss it out the window. But I stuck with it and I'm glad. It's not a perfect book, it tested my patience, but I'm intrigued and invested in it at this point and dying to see how the final installment plays out.
So, what didn't work for me? Well I always like to start with the negative first and end with the positive, so here goes:
Read the Full Review
October 2, 2018
3.5/5. This series is just really fun. It's pretty creepy and atmospheric (love me a story set in Victorian London!!) while also being a bit overly dramatic at times. It has a few rather annoying YA tropes (hellooo, love triangle!), but it's also properly scary and dark and takes some twist and turns I didn't necessarily expect a YA book to take. I'm super glad to have found this on my audiobook app, as it's the kind of story I prefer to listen to these days, plus, the audiobook narrator is pretty great as well.
August 25, 2016
This review was originally posted on my blog:
http://www.jeanmenzies.blogspot.co.uk...
Probably the only book I was in any sort of true state of anticipation for this year was Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd, the sequel to The Madman's Daughter. I read the first book in the series only days after its release, quite by chance based on a goodreads recommendation, so this book has been an entire year in the waiting. The first in this series was based on The Island of Dr Moreau and this latest instalment in the series is based on the infamous Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Set in the 19th century Shepherd creates a modern twist on some gothic classics whilst maintaining a desirable amount of authenticity.
Of course, in this review, I must skim over any details concerning the plot line out of fear of spoiling the first book in the series. Although, in general, this review is directed at those who have read The Madman's Daughter. In comparison the mystery, suspense and fear factor was not quite as prominent in this sequel but personally I feel that was due to two reasons: one being the setting, which was London and did not quit possess the same mystery as a secluded island; and two I am much more familiar with the plot of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde than I was with The Island of Dr Moreau. This did result in slightly more predictability, however the author still surprised me on multiple occasions; Shepherd has a real knack for plot twists and conspiracies. All on all this book definitely fulfilled my need for a Madman's Daughter fix and in particular set me up for the third book in the series set to come out in 2014. This book will be set in the secluded Scottish highlands, eery check, and will be based on Frankenstein. I can not wait; I guess I will just have to though :).
If you have not read the first book in this series and enjoy thrillers in a period setting, well, what are you waiting for, get on that!
http://www.jeanmenzies.blogspot.co.uk...
Probably the only book I was in any sort of true state of anticipation for this year was Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd, the sequel to The Madman's Daughter. I read the first book in the series only days after its release, quite by chance based on a goodreads recommendation, so this book has been an entire year in the waiting. The first in this series was based on The Island of Dr Moreau and this latest instalment in the series is based on the infamous Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Set in the 19th century Shepherd creates a modern twist on some gothic classics whilst maintaining a desirable amount of authenticity.
Of course, in this review, I must skim over any details concerning the plot line out of fear of spoiling the first book in the series. Although, in general, this review is directed at those who have read The Madman's Daughter. In comparison the mystery, suspense and fear factor was not quite as prominent in this sequel but personally I feel that was due to two reasons: one being the setting, which was London and did not quit possess the same mystery as a secluded island; and two I am much more familiar with the plot of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde than I was with The Island of Dr Moreau. This did result in slightly more predictability, however the author still surprised me on multiple occasions; Shepherd has a real knack for plot twists and conspiracies. All on all this book definitely fulfilled my need for a Madman's Daughter fix and in particular set me up for the third book in the series set to come out in 2014. This book will be set in the secluded Scottish highlands, eery check, and will be based on Frankenstein. I can not wait; I guess I will just have to though :).
If you have not read the first book in this series and enjoy thrillers in a period setting, well, what are you waiting for, get on that!
Want to read
August 15, 20132014.... a whole year? After that ending I have to wait so long for the next??? I think I may die from the anticipation omg T_T
August 19, 2015
Rating 4.5 (Ish, that love-triangle... was it necessary?)
“My plan was a cruel one, dangerous, yet I couldn’t deny that the curious corners of my soul curled at the thought...”
Her Dark Curiosity wasn't as near as painful as I expected it to be (the romance in the first book made me roll my eyes too often).... on the contrary, despite the love triangle (that was...thank the heavens, toned down in this book) I found the sequel to The Madman's Daughter to be deliciously dark.
The first line...
"The air in my crumbling attic chamber smelled of roses and formaldehyde."
...then a little more darkness...
"They told me she’d tried to stuff flowers between the layers of her meager clothing for warmth. The flowers had frozen too."
...and I was on board.
Juliet is back in London. She is rescued from prison by one of her fathers former friends, the professor Victor von Stein, who brings her home with him, becoming her guardian. Now, after all those years she can live again the life of the privileged, but ... Juliet Moreau still has secrets she can't share with her benefactor or her friend, Lucy. How can she tell anyone she , or begin to explain her illness, because the serum is less effective as time passes.
“I could feel each bone in my body as though it moved of its own accord. I had been taking my injections daily, and yet the fits were only getting worse.”
Dark thoughts cross Juliet's mind ever so often, a madness caused by her illness ... or is it. In any case there is no way stopping her slipping ever deeper in it.
A series of grisly murders shakes London.
"They’re calling him the Wolf of Whitechapel on account of how he carves up the bodies. One of them had a purse on him and a gold watch, but the murderer didn’t touch it. Wasn’t interested in anything but tearing that man apart like an animal.”
The victims slashed open by what appear to be claws and near every victim a white flower dipped in blood is found.
“ My bare fingers touched a wet substance beneath the flower. I held my fingers up to the faint light from the lamppost.
Blood.
Blood spotted the back of the flower, as though it had been pressed into a pool of it. It was still fresh"
Very soon Juliet realizes that
As the first book was the retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, ... with the Beast roaming the foggy streets of London, Her Dark Curiosity takes the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and gives it a new shine.
Is Juliet really slipping towards madness, or is she just a woman that doesn't conform herself with the strict, stifling norms of Victorian society, and thinks herself mad because others may see her that way? How many times she curses that hated whalebone corset or even shoes so often mentioned as something caging her in, not letting her breathe...taking her freedom away. The mask she wears at the ball "itches". She cherishes the cold bare attic room that she lets in secret, more than all the comforts of the professor's big town house. A place to be who she is without constrictions ... without masks.
There were moments though, when madness was a really plausible explanation for her thoughts ... But thoughts are just thoughts... right, even if a little disturbing. I get she was through a lot ... while on the island, but what bothers me is not so much And then maybe she just doesn't want to commiserate herself.
"Did I truly want to do this?"
...she ask herself before making another irrevocable decision.... committing another crime. But then...
“I was already a murderer, after all. Already damned.”
Near the end Juliet decides to embrace apart of her father's horrible legacy, because...
“It isn’t about the sharpness of the blade,” I said. “It’s about the hand that holds it."
...and we are off to Scotland.
“...my thoughts turned as fast as the carriage wheels, the horses whisked us away, far north, where the heath grew and wind twisted the trees, to a place where people were forgotten. To a place we’d never be found. To a place where I might lose myself to the same dark madness that had claimed my father.”
“My plan was a cruel one, dangerous, yet I couldn’t deny that the curious corners of my soul curled at the thought...”
Her Dark Curiosity wasn't as near as painful as I expected it to be (the romance in the first book made me roll my eyes too often).... on the contrary, despite the love triangle (that was...thank the heavens, toned down in this book) I found the sequel to The Madman's Daughter to be deliciously dark.
The first line...
"The air in my crumbling attic chamber smelled of roses and formaldehyde."
...then a little more darkness...
"They told me she’d tried to stuff flowers between the layers of her meager clothing for warmth. The flowers had frozen too."
...and I was on board.
Juliet is back in London. She is rescued from prison by one of her fathers former friends, the professor Victor von Stein, who brings her home with him, becoming her guardian. Now, after all those years she can live again the life of the privileged, but ... Juliet Moreau still has secrets she can't share with her benefactor or her friend, Lucy. How can she tell anyone she , or begin to explain her illness, because the serum is less effective as time passes.
“I could feel each bone in my body as though it moved of its own accord. I had been taking my injections daily, and yet the fits were only getting worse.”
Dark thoughts cross Juliet's mind ever so often, a madness caused by her illness ... or is it. In any case there is no way stopping her slipping ever deeper in it.
A series of grisly murders shakes London.
"They’re calling him the Wolf of Whitechapel on account of how he carves up the bodies. One of them had a purse on him and a gold watch, but the murderer didn’t touch it. Wasn’t interested in anything but tearing that man apart like an animal.”
The victims slashed open by what appear to be claws and near every victim a white flower dipped in blood is found.
“ My bare fingers touched a wet substance beneath the flower. I held my fingers up to the faint light from the lamppost.
Blood.
Blood spotted the back of the flower, as though it had been pressed into a pool of it. It was still fresh"
Very soon Juliet realizes that
As the first book was the retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, ... with the Beast roaming the foggy streets of London, Her Dark Curiosity takes the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and gives it a new shine.
Is Juliet really slipping towards madness, or is she just a woman that doesn't conform herself with the strict, stifling norms of Victorian society, and thinks herself mad because others may see her that way? How many times she curses that hated whalebone corset or even shoes so often mentioned as something caging her in, not letting her breathe...taking her freedom away. The mask she wears at the ball "itches". She cherishes the cold bare attic room that she lets in secret, more than all the comforts of the professor's big town house. A place to be who she is without constrictions ... without masks.
There were moments though, when madness was a really plausible explanation for her thoughts ... But thoughts are just thoughts... right, even if a little disturbing. I get she was through a lot ... while on the island, but what bothers me is not so much And then maybe she just doesn't want to commiserate herself.
"Did I truly want to do this?"
...she ask herself before making another irrevocable decision.... committing another crime. But then...
“I was already a murderer, after all. Already damned.”
Near the end Juliet decides to embrace apart of her father's horrible legacy, because...
“It isn’t about the sharpness of the blade,” I said. “It’s about the hand that holds it."
...and we are off to Scotland.
“...my thoughts turned as fast as the carriage wheels, the horses whisked us away, far north, where the heath grew and wind twisted the trees, to a place where people were forgotten. To a place we’d never be found. To a place where I might lose myself to the same dark madness that had claimed my father.”
September 19, 2015
Finally done. Shepherd's writing-style is wasted on a book filled with irritating characters and a disgusting love-triangle. I liked the overall story, but I had a hard time trying to stop myself from throwing the book against the wall. Juliet is one of the worse characters I've read about this year..
http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...
I wish I could say ‘I’m not sure where it all went wrong,’ because I know. This book suffers from the most horrible love-triangle I’ve seen last year and it contains irritating, annoying characters. Juliet is probably one of the worst characters of 2013. The good writing-style and overall interesting and unique storyline go to waste - and that is a true shame.
I always like to look positive at books. I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews, but it has to be done. There are mild spoilers for this book, but I seriously recommend reading them to see for yourself if you want to suffer through this book.
I quite liked The madman’s daughter. The vivisections were fascinating to me and I loved that Shepherd explored that side of science. That is also the case in this book. Juliet returned to London and is living with a professor. She is trying to find a new cure, since her old treatment isn’t working. When there are strange deaths on the island, Juliet finds out that Edward survived and he is back to find her. His beast side is starting to take over and naive as Juliet is, she believes they can find a cure for him too. So far, I was interested in the story. I liked where everything was going and Shepherd has a good writing-style.
The first thing that should have warned me was the moment Edward and Juliet meet. This meeting brings us to a scene I still can’t believe happened. Edward’s beast side just killed someone and Juliet finds him in her secret room covered in blood. Any normal girl would get the hell away, right? But NO, wait, there is something very “dangerous” about him, so let’s have sex with him! Juliet has been complaining and whining over her long lost lover Montgomery and she is lonely. Surely Edward is the best way to forget about him. Don’t mind the fact that HE FREAKING KILLED SOMEONE and that there is a beast lurking inside him.
”And there was Edward, who knew my secrets and didn’t judge me for them, desperate to fill that void in my life.”
Seriously? Of course, a few days later Montgomery pops up! He’s following Edward and wants to kill him. Juliet is confused about her feelings, but something bigger is going on. A society is looking for Edward too and they want to use him for their experiments. This part of the story was great. I loved the tension and the mystery - who are involved and what are they doing?
It’s a shame that this mystery is completely overshadowed by these face-palming characters. Juliet is a spineless, whiny, awful creature. The only thing she can do is complain about her life, making herself feel miserable and unhappy without a real reason. She is ungrateful and a horrible friend for Lucy. I was secretly hoping that the beast would come out to slash her throat, but that obviously didn’t happen. Another thing that annoyed me was her fickleness. First she is objecting about killing Edward, because ‘it’s not right.’ Two pages later she is planning to slaughter a group of men.
The other characters aren’t really memorable. I liked Eward/Beast, because he added some tension to the story. God knows why he loves Juliet so much. Montgomery is just.. Montgomery. Nothing too special.
And the worst thing of it all? I still want to read the next book to see how it's all going to end *sigh*
http://thedailyprophecy.blogspot.nl/2...
I wish I could say ‘I’m not sure where it all went wrong,’ because I know. This book suffers from the most horrible love-triangle I’ve seen last year and it contains irritating, annoying characters. Juliet is probably one of the worst characters of 2013. The good writing-style and overall interesting and unique storyline go to waste - and that is a true shame.
I always like to look positive at books. I don’t enjoy writing negative reviews, but it has to be done. There are mild spoilers for this book, but I seriously recommend reading them to see for yourself if you want to suffer through this book.
I quite liked The madman’s daughter. The vivisections were fascinating to me and I loved that Shepherd explored that side of science. That is also the case in this book. Juliet returned to London and is living with a professor. She is trying to find a new cure, since her old treatment isn’t working. When there are strange deaths on the island, Juliet finds out that Edward survived and he is back to find her. His beast side is starting to take over and naive as Juliet is, she believes they can find a cure for him too. So far, I was interested in the story. I liked where everything was going and Shepherd has a good writing-style.
The first thing that should have warned me was the moment Edward and Juliet meet. This meeting brings us to a scene I still can’t believe happened. Edward’s beast side just killed someone and Juliet finds him in her secret room covered in blood. Any normal girl would get the hell away, right? But NO, wait, there is something very “dangerous” about him, so let’s have sex with him! Juliet has been complaining and whining over her long lost lover Montgomery and she is lonely. Surely Edward is the best way to forget about him. Don’t mind the fact that HE FREAKING KILLED SOMEONE and that there is a beast lurking inside him.
”And there was Edward, who knew my secrets and didn’t judge me for them, desperate to fill that void in my life.”
Seriously? Of course, a few days later Montgomery pops up! He’s following Edward and wants to kill him. Juliet is confused about her feelings, but something bigger is going on. A society is looking for Edward too and they want to use him for their experiments. This part of the story was great. I loved the tension and the mystery - who are involved and what are they doing?
It’s a shame that this mystery is completely overshadowed by these face-palming characters. Juliet is a spineless, whiny, awful creature. The only thing she can do is complain about her life, making herself feel miserable and unhappy without a real reason. She is ungrateful and a horrible friend for Lucy. I was secretly hoping that the beast would come out to slash her throat, but that obviously didn’t happen. Another thing that annoyed me was her fickleness. First she is objecting about killing Edward, because ‘it’s not right.’ Two pages later she is planning to slaughter a group of men.
The other characters aren’t really memorable. I liked Eward/Beast, because he added some tension to the story. God knows why he loves Juliet so much. Montgomery is just.. Montgomery. Nothing too special.
And the worst thing of it all? I still want to read the next book to see how it's all going to end *sigh*
September 11, 2014
Her Dark Curiosity is book 2 of The Madman’s Daughter series. Because it is a while yet until the book releases, I won’t give anything away. I enjoyed this book and thought it was a solid second book to the series. If you liked The Madman’s Daughter, definitely check this one out when you can.
This book picks up with Juliet back in London after Montgomery sent her away from the island and Shepherd did a great job of sharing the things Juliet went through on her journey without making us start the book there. She definitely didn't have an easy trip and even when she did get back, some old problems found their way back to her.
With the support and help from Professor von Stein, a former colleague of Juliet’s father’s, Juliet is slowly making her way back into the upper crust of society. He decided to step in and help her since he failed to help her father when he could have and it has become Juliet’s safety net. Because of him, she has a nice house to live in, warm clothes, and her reputation back (mostly). At the same time, Juliet has not given up her quest for a cure. She continues to suffer from the pain and side effects of what her father did to her. She keeps a hidden apartment in a less safe area of London and goes there to create the serums.
As if all of that isn't enough to deal with, another problem has hit the area. People are being killed and the police think it may be a mass murderer. Juliet ends up linked to the case due to the fact that all of the victims happen to be people Juliet knows/knew. The killer leaves the victims torn apart like an animal and this is the thing that forces Juliet to try to find out just who the killer is before Scotland Yard and Detective John Newcastle does.
A lot happens in this book and we get to see some great new characters as well as some of my favorite old characters. If you follow me on Twitter or saw my Goodreads updates you may have noticed I had some comments….only a few. There were things that occurred in this book that made me a bit ragey. I actually like Juliet’s character – she is strong and smart but she does something that actually made me stop and think:
Ok – don’t hate me for that teaser…trust me when I say that once you read the book, you will know exactly what I am talking about.
I loved how Shepherd used Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as inspiration for the book – it fit well and gave the story some great layers. The way Shepherd intertwines the characters and brings all their stories together was great and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment. If it isn’t there already, add this one to your “to read” pile and grab it as soon as you can.
This book picks up with Juliet back in London after Montgomery sent her away from the island and Shepherd did a great job of sharing the things Juliet went through on her journey without making us start the book there. She definitely didn't have an easy trip and even when she did get back, some old problems found their way back to her.
With the support and help from Professor von Stein, a former colleague of Juliet’s father’s, Juliet is slowly making her way back into the upper crust of society. He decided to step in and help her since he failed to help her father when he could have and it has become Juliet’s safety net. Because of him, she has a nice house to live in, warm clothes, and her reputation back (mostly). At the same time, Juliet has not given up her quest for a cure. She continues to suffer from the pain and side effects of what her father did to her. She keeps a hidden apartment in a less safe area of London and goes there to create the serums.
As if all of that isn't enough to deal with, another problem has hit the area. People are being killed and the police think it may be a mass murderer. Juliet ends up linked to the case due to the fact that all of the victims happen to be people Juliet knows/knew. The killer leaves the victims torn apart like an animal and this is the thing that forces Juliet to try to find out just who the killer is before Scotland Yard and Detective John Newcastle does.
A lot happens in this book and we get to see some great new characters as well as some of my favorite old characters. If you follow me on Twitter or saw my Goodreads updates you may have noticed I had some comments….only a few. There were things that occurred in this book that made me a bit ragey. I actually like Juliet’s character – she is strong and smart but she does something that actually made me stop and think:
Ok – don’t hate me for that teaser…trust me when I say that once you read the book, you will know exactly what I am talking about.
I loved how Shepherd used Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as inspiration for the book – it fit well and gave the story some great layers. The way Shepherd intertwines the characters and brings all their stories together was great and I am definitely looking forward to the next installment. If it isn’t there already, add this one to your “to read” pile and grab it as soon as you can.
October 2, 2021
I love Dr Jekyll and mr Hyde. This made a beautiful book with the characters I love. I was afraid the author was going to butcher the classic but I soon came to love the plot. I loved the theme on darkness and light or good and evil. I loved that Juliet killed the Kingsmen. It was amazing! Please read this series it’s so good!!!
March 10, 2015
As far as second books go, this one is right up there. A tight plot, good suspense, awesome pacing and great writing.
Juliet has grown on me. She has her moments of pure frustration, but in the end, you'll come to love her. She is ashamed of her unnatural curiosity towards all things bloody, but she does embrace it in time of need. She is repulsed by how alive she feels when she feeds her curiosity, but she is unable to stop, which makes her a very sympathetic character.
Its amazing that the romance isnt the sole focus of the book. The last book didnt have much and neither did this one: For once, the heroine thinks more with her brain than her heart when its needed the most. For big decisions, she took everything in account. Rationality, use and whether there was a better option or not. She does sometimes overestimate her own limitations, but you what? She tries. And not that pathetic 'Boohoo, I tried reviving him, but my half-hearted, two penny efforts failed. I shall stop now and only continue when I feel like it.' She goes out of her way to do something the majority of people said is impossible.
So my last question is: When is the last book coming out and where can I get it?
Juliet has grown on me. She has her moments of pure frustration, but in the end, you'll come to love her. She is ashamed of her unnatural curiosity towards all things bloody, but she does embrace it in time of need. She is repulsed by how alive she feels when she feeds her curiosity, but she is unable to stop, which makes her a very sympathetic character.
Its amazing that the romance isnt the sole focus of the book. The last book didnt have much and neither did this one: For once, the heroine thinks more with her brain than her heart when its needed the most. For big decisions, she took everything in account. Rationality, use and whether there was a better option or not. She does sometimes overestimate her own limitations, but you what? She tries. And not that pathetic 'Boohoo, I tried reviving him, but my half-hearted, two penny efforts failed. I shall stop now and only continue when I feel like it.' She goes out of her way to do something the majority of people said is impossible.
So my last question is: When is the last book coming out and where can I get it?
April 7, 2016
When Book 1 in a series is worth five stars, you may hesitate to pick up Book 2. What if the sequel can't live up to the quality of its predecessor? I needn't have worried, because Her Dark Curiosity is another smashing read from Megan Shepherd. The novel opens with science, which bodes well for the rest of the story, a battle not to cure but to perhaps manage a violent condition. I'm not sure why Juliet shags Edward, but otherwise it's a fabulous read that I definitely recommend. (NOTE TO ANIMAL LOVERS: There's a dog character, and he's alive for the entire book. There are thoughts against him, though thankfully none of them turn into action.)
February 27, 2020
Son bölüme kadar 5 vermeyi düşünüyordum ama yine kocaman bir AMA var☹kitapta takıldıgım iki yer var ki benim için çok önemli noktalar o yüzden 2 puanı kırpıp 3 veriyorum...keşke yazar o iki noktayı daha düzgün kurgulasaydi da yıldızlı 5 verseydim...
January 26, 2022
Estoy muy consciente de que estos libros no son asombrosos, pero me parecen muy bien construidos con una gran ambientación que logra transmitir el tono tétrico de este Londres victoriano. Además, me gusta mucho lo oscuros que se vuelven por momentos.
Juliet está de vuelta en Londres después de todo lo que sucedió en la isla de su padre. Un anciano solitario la adoptó como su hija y vuelve a ser aceptada en sociedad, sin embargo, en secreto sigue trabajando para conseguir una cura para sí misma. Cuando las víctimas de una serie de asesinatos se relacionen con su pasado, Juliet tendrá que volver a enfrentarse a sus más oscuros recuerdos.
Leí el primer libro el 2019 y me gustó bastante, al empezar este recordé el porqué. La verdad es que la autora escribe muy bien, logra transmitir sin problemas el ambiente del Londres victoriano mezclado con uno más oscuro y siniestro lleno de peligros en la oscuridad. El primer libro tomaba La Isla del Doctor Moreau y ahora es el turno de El extraño caso del doctor Jekyll y el señor Hyde. No son retellings como tal, salvo el primero, pues el apellido de Juliet es Moreau, sin embargo, un aspecto de la trama está claramente inspirado en la historia de Jekyll y Hyde.
Una amiga me describió estos libros como todo lo que A la caza de Jack prometía ser y no lo fue, y no puedo encontrarle más que la razón. Todo lo que me prometieron encontrar en A la caza lo encontré aquí y mucho mejor construido. Incluida la protagonista con una pasión por las ciencias (tan diferente a las demás) con un lado oscuro que intenta controlar. Ahora, en retrospectiva, parece que los otros libros fueran copias descaradas y mal hechas. Incluso esos libros toman personajes más clásicos como Jack el destripador, Drácula o Houdini.
Hay varios aspectos predecibles en la trama, del tipo que se sabía qué persona era o algo por el estilo, pero otros giros sí que me sorprendieron. No me esperaba la trama que se estaba gestando detrás (al menos no hasta que estaba todo más avanzado) así que de verdad me sorprendió gratamente la forma en que el libro está estructurado. El único giro que me sorprendió, pero se me hizo un poco de la nada, vino con el tema de Elizabeth al final, sí que había un par de pistas, aunque no las suficientes como para que la apuesta de Juliet tuviera sentido para mí.
Me gusta Juliet, es una chica con una vida dura y una mente brillante que se vio opacada por su condición de mujer y las pocas posibilidades de que se le tomara en serio. No es que sea un personaje que me sorprenda, pero no me molesta leer el libro desde su perspectiva. Entiendo sus miedos y obsesiones, la forma en que piensa y cómo algunos pensamientos la asustan.
Sobre el romance, es un triángulo amoroso, tal como se dio en el primer libro. Admito que un aspecto en particular me sorprendió bastante, aunque ambos personajes me gustan, tengo mi favorito por lejos. Lo normal es que estos triángulos no me gusten, aun así, considero que, dentro de toda su inexperiencia, Juliet lo maneja bastante bien. Es decir, se nota que siente algo por ambos, pero siempre dice amar al mismo y, salvo una excepción, no le da ilusiones al otro. Ahora, claro que Juliet es muy intensa en esto del amor, como todas las protagonistas juveniles, pero dentro de todo me gustó leerlo.
Me gustó que este libro tuviera más presencia femenina con Elizabeth y Lucy. En especial, disfruté mucho de la presencia de Elizabeth, faltaba un personaje femenino mayor, que fuera la voz de la razón y también algo como una madre para Juliet. Además, con la revelación del final se me hizo mucho más interesante el personaje y ya quiero saber más. Con Lucy se siente como la clásica mejor amiga en este tipo de libros y su amor por Edward la verdad es que no me gusta. Entiendo que está para ser la contraparte de Juliet. Más emociones y sentimientos, que la fría racionalidad de la protagonista, y lo comprendo, solo que no me termina de cuadrar bien.
Naturaleza oscura trae a Juliet de vuelta a Londres, a un intento de recuperar una vida normal, pero su pasado no deja de perseguirla. Una historia que recuerda a los clásicos de asesinos en serie en un ambiente victoriano, con un giro macabro con tintes de ciencia ficción.
Juliet está de vuelta en Londres después de todo lo que sucedió en la isla de su padre. Un anciano solitario la adoptó como su hija y vuelve a ser aceptada en sociedad, sin embargo, en secreto sigue trabajando para conseguir una cura para sí misma. Cuando las víctimas de una serie de asesinatos se relacionen con su pasado, Juliet tendrá que volver a enfrentarse a sus más oscuros recuerdos.
Leí el primer libro el 2019 y me gustó bastante, al empezar este recordé el porqué. La verdad es que la autora escribe muy bien, logra transmitir sin problemas el ambiente del Londres victoriano mezclado con uno más oscuro y siniestro lleno de peligros en la oscuridad. El primer libro tomaba La Isla del Doctor Moreau y ahora es el turno de El extraño caso del doctor Jekyll y el señor Hyde. No son retellings como tal, salvo el primero, pues el apellido de Juliet es Moreau, sin embargo, un aspecto de la trama está claramente inspirado en la historia de Jekyll y Hyde.
Una amiga me describió estos libros como todo lo que A la caza de Jack prometía ser y no lo fue, y no puedo encontrarle más que la razón. Todo lo que me prometieron encontrar en A la caza lo encontré aquí y mucho mejor construido. Incluida la protagonista con una pasión por las ciencias (tan diferente a las demás) con un lado oscuro que intenta controlar. Ahora, en retrospectiva, parece que los otros libros fueran copias descaradas y mal hechas. Incluso esos libros toman personajes más clásicos como Jack el destripador, Drácula o Houdini.
Hay varios aspectos predecibles en la trama, del tipo que se sabía qué persona era o algo por el estilo, pero otros giros sí que me sorprendieron. No me esperaba la trama que se estaba gestando detrás (al menos no hasta que estaba todo más avanzado) así que de verdad me sorprendió gratamente la forma en que el libro está estructurado. El único giro que me sorprendió, pero se me hizo un poco de la nada, vino con el tema de Elizabeth al final, sí que había un par de pistas, aunque no las suficientes como para que la apuesta de Juliet tuviera sentido para mí.
Me gusta Juliet, es una chica con una vida dura y una mente brillante que se vio opacada por su condición de mujer y las pocas posibilidades de que se le tomara en serio. No es que sea un personaje que me sorprenda, pero no me molesta leer el libro desde su perspectiva. Entiendo sus miedos y obsesiones, la forma en que piensa y cómo algunos pensamientos la asustan.
Sobre el romance, es un triángulo amoroso, tal como se dio en el primer libro. Admito que un aspecto en particular me sorprendió bastante, aunque ambos personajes me gustan, tengo mi favorito por lejos. Lo normal es que estos triángulos no me gusten, aun así, considero que, dentro de toda su inexperiencia, Juliet lo maneja bastante bien. Es decir, se nota que siente algo por ambos, pero siempre dice amar al mismo y, salvo una excepción, no le da ilusiones al otro. Ahora, claro que Juliet es muy intensa en esto del amor, como todas las protagonistas juveniles, pero dentro de todo me gustó leerlo.
Me gustó que este libro tuviera más presencia femenina con Elizabeth y Lucy. En especial, disfruté mucho de la presencia de Elizabeth, faltaba un personaje femenino mayor, que fuera la voz de la razón y también algo como una madre para Juliet. Además, con la revelación del final se me hizo mucho más interesante el personaje y ya quiero saber más. Con Lucy se siente como la clásica mejor amiga en este tipo de libros y su amor por Edward la verdad es que no me gusta. Entiendo que está para ser la contraparte de Juliet. Más emociones y sentimientos, que la fría racionalidad de la protagonista, y lo comprendo, solo que no me termina de cuadrar bien.
Naturaleza oscura trae a Juliet de vuelta a Londres, a un intento de recuperar una vida normal, pero su pasado no deja de perseguirla. Una historia que recuerda a los clásicos de asesinos en serie en un ambiente victoriano, con un giro macabro con tintes de ciencia ficción.
"Me di cuenta de que había ido demasiado lejos, de que me había pasado. Me había herido y yo lo había herido a él, pero el amor nada tenía que ver con intercambiar golpes y hacerse daño"
December 1, 2015
2.5 stars. Enjoyed the end but most of the book I was just waiting for things to pick up. It wasn't uninteresting, but I think I was just too familiar with the original story to enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first one.
I was really frustrated with the main character this time. I'm sure she was the same way in book 1 but for whatever reason I could overlook it because of the situation she'd been thrown into. This time around I wanted to strangle her! She flip flopped more than America Singer from The Selection. Girrrrrrrl. Stop. She'd be determined about something on one page and the next she'd totally change her mind, second guess herself, and then go the completely opposite way. She'd set her mind on one guy, only to pine over the other about 5 seconds later.
And she wasn't the only one. All of these fools were the same. At one point super shocking information was revealed and one scene later Montgomery was making statements about how he'd "always" felt some way about that information. FOOL, NO. You just found out literally 5 minutes ago.
This love triangle absolutely does not work for me. I don't care if any of these awful wishy washy people end up together because they show ZERO motivation for wanting to be together. It's just convenient for them at any given time. By book 2 they should have developed something deeper, or at least be able to stick with a decision. We really lost the Jekyll and Hyde retelling amidst all the floundering these people did in their romantic entanglements.
I would have been MUCH more interested in a love triangle between Juliet, Edward, and his Mr. Hyde counterpart. Yes, that, please. The Beast was the most darn interesting character of the whole bunch, but sadly he was treated as a prop occasionally delivering lines to get Juliet to have ~deep thoughts~ (which she promptly changed her mind about 2 pages later).
In all, this just really didn't live up to the first book in any way. The problem here was that the original Jekyll and Hyde story was a mystery. As a retelling, Her Dark Curiosity starts off with the reader knowing who the Hyde character is. There is no mystery to it. I know there can't be since the tale is so widely known, but even the character in this world knew from the beginning. Additionally, being told from the POV of an outsider I felt leant no depth to the Jekyll and Hyde aspect that this book basically hinged on. Scenes from his POV showing his struggle could have helped, or having Juliet be more involved with his Beast side, or heck even have a beast side herself would have some great opportunities to explore this amazingly dark classic tale. Instead we got a love drama where Jekyll was completely nonexistent (unless Juliet was supposed to be him since she was more of the scientist figure although that's dumb as mud since she wasn't the one with the other side) and Hyde is barely present.
With all of that said, darn if I don't want to finish this series. I'm really looking forward to the last book because it's a Frankenstein retelling and that was one of my favorite classics. I also think the set up of Juliet's world will work better with that retelling than it did with J&H.
I was really frustrated with the main character this time. I'm sure she was the same way in book 1 but for whatever reason I could overlook it because of the situation she'd been thrown into. This time around I wanted to strangle her! She flip flopped more than America Singer from The Selection. Girrrrrrrl. Stop. She'd be determined about something on one page and the next she'd totally change her mind, second guess herself, and then go the completely opposite way. She'd set her mind on one guy, only to pine over the other about 5 seconds later.
And she wasn't the only one. All of these fools were the same. At one point super shocking information was revealed and one scene later Montgomery was making statements about how he'd "always" felt some way about that information. FOOL, NO. You just found out literally 5 minutes ago.
This love triangle absolutely does not work for me. I don't care if any of these awful wishy washy people end up together because they show ZERO motivation for wanting to be together. It's just convenient for them at any given time. By book 2 they should have developed something deeper, or at least be able to stick with a decision. We really lost the Jekyll and Hyde retelling amidst all the floundering these people did in their romantic entanglements.
I would have been MUCH more interested in a love triangle between Juliet, Edward, and his Mr. Hyde counterpart. Yes, that, please. The Beast was the most darn interesting character of the whole bunch, but sadly he was treated as a prop occasionally delivering lines to get Juliet to have ~deep thoughts~ (which she promptly changed her mind about 2 pages later).
In all, this just really didn't live up to the first book in any way. The problem here was that the original Jekyll and Hyde story was a mystery. As a retelling, Her Dark Curiosity starts off with the reader knowing who the Hyde character is. There is no mystery to it. I know there can't be since the tale is so widely known, but even the character in this world knew from the beginning. Additionally, being told from the POV of an outsider I felt leant no depth to the Jekyll and Hyde aspect that this book basically hinged on. Scenes from his POV showing his struggle could have helped, or having Juliet be more involved with his Beast side, or heck even have a beast side herself would have some great opportunities to explore this amazingly dark classic tale. Instead we got a love drama where Jekyll was completely nonexistent (unless Juliet was supposed to be him since she was more of the scientist figure although that's dumb as mud since she wasn't the one with the other side) and Hyde is barely present.
With all of that said, darn if I don't want to finish this series. I'm really looking forward to the last book because it's a Frankenstein retelling and that was one of my favorite classics. I also think the set up of Juliet's world will work better with that retelling than it did with J&H.
August 11, 2016
Yeah, I think this is my new favorite series. I can't say anything bad about this. Even if I could, it might be stuff I don't mind. So, it took me a lot longer than I thought to get back into this series. Mostly because I wasn't in the mood for it.
Now, I loved the first book and couldn't wait to read the next book.What I love about the books, is what the story will be about. That and the covers are beautifully done and eye catching.
The last one, had tones of the Island of Dr. Moreau and in this, Jekyll and Hyde. And the third, well, can't wait to read it.
As I was reading, I was thinking, how could I not want to read this. The writing is of course, well done and the character development, atmosphere tone it has going for it is also good. And of course, moments where I think it will go in one direction, it surprises me and goes in another and I can't help but smile at that. Thanks for that book. You get hug points for that.
The characters of course are also good. Especially Balthazar and Lucy. I also admire how strong and well, even if she clearly scared, Juliet still tries to be brave and does something and has her friends at least.
Basically, a really good sequel. If the writing is just as good in this series then I'll definitely be looking out for the author's next series or book.
Now, I loved the first book and couldn't wait to read the next book.What I love about the books, is what the story will be about. That and the covers are beautifully done and eye catching.
The last one, had tones of the Island of Dr. Moreau and in this, Jekyll and Hyde. And the third, well, can't wait to read it.
As I was reading, I was thinking, how could I not want to read this. The writing is of course, well done and the character development, atmosphere tone it has going for it is also good. And of course, moments where I think it will go in one direction, it surprises me and goes in another and I can't help but smile at that. Thanks for that book. You get hug points for that.
The characters of course are also good. Especially Balthazar and Lucy. I also admire how strong and well, even if she clearly scared, Juliet still tries to be brave and does something and has her friends at least.
Basically, a really good sequel. If the writing is just as good in this series then I'll definitely be looking out for the author's next series or book.
Want to read
December 27, 2012YES!!! THERE'S A SEQUEL! Maybe I won't die just yet...
Also, after reading the Madman's Daughter, I had no idea it was inspired by the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
If anything, I would have thought Frankenstein with the whole creating "aberrrations" thing. Having read both books, I can honestly say I think Frankenstein is more relevant to this book.
But that's just me. Whatever...
YIPPEE for a sequel!
Also, after reading the Madman's Daughter, I had no idea it was inspired by the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
If anything, I would have thought Frankenstein with the whole creating "aberrrations" thing. Having read both books, I can honestly say I think Frankenstein is more relevant to this book.
But that's just me. Whatever...
YIPPEE for a sequel!
September 4, 2016
2.5 stars
Blythe and I do a discussion review on the blog, here's the link to check it out: http://findingblissinbooks.blogspot.c...
*A full and proper review will come closer to the release date. The main issue was the romance. ANGSTY, LOVE TRIANGLE, POINTLESS AND NOT LOGICAL.
* Change of plan: no longer reviewing this one
Blythe and I do a discussion review on the blog, here's the link to check it out: http://findingblissinbooks.blogspot.c...
*A full and proper review will come closer to the release date. The main issue was the romance. ANGSTY, LOVE TRIANGLE, POINTLESS AND NOT LOGICAL.
* Change of plan: no longer reviewing this one
November 2, 2016
I loved this book much more than the first one. My rating is more like a 4-1/2. Starting book 3 now!
February 2, 2014
“It is one thing to mortify curiosity, another to conquer it. ” - The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
4.5 out of 5 stars
Setting:London; 1895
Coverly Love?:Oh my goodness yes!! I love everything about it; the dress she's wearing, the scene of London, the creepy atmosphere. I just love it!!!
Plot:It's been months since Juliet Moreau escaped the madness of her father's island and his horrific creations. She has gotten back into societies good graces, has a rich benefactor taking care of her, and her former reputation has been restores. Everything is looking quite peachy for her... until the killings start. Known as the Whitechapel Beast, he murders hid victims at night, always leaving his trademark three claw marks on them. Juliet knows too well who is doing the murders, even though it is in no way possible: Edward Prince is dead? Or is he? And with her condition worsening by the day, Juliet must race against time to stop the killings. Is she truly the madman's daughter? Will she redeem herself?
I was a bit worried coming into this book, since all the advanced reviews were negative and not many people liked it. However, the first book was absolutely fabulous and I had been waiting for such a long time to find out what happened. And I am in the minority when I say that this book didn't disappointed me at all. I loved the setting and atmosphere of the book, and delving back into the mad, mad world of Juliet Moreau was a delight. The mystery was intriguing and the romantic aspect of the book didn't bother me as much as it did everyone else. But seriously, can't the author cut poor Edward a break?
Characters:Juliet is a main character to be pitied. I mean, the poor child lost both her parents, her father was mentally insane, she got cast away alone into the sea, she's terribly ill.... in other words, she's got some serious probs. But what makes her endearing to me is the fact that she is a thinking woman who doesn't need the help of anyone to survive. Does she make stupid, rash decisions? Sure. But at least she acknowledges her own stupidity. I also admire her compassion; she may claim to have no good qualities, but her compassion for those who are suffering redeems her. Elizabeth is one of Juliet's wards/confidants after she returns to London, and she will play an important role in the next book. I loved how she essentially became the a mother figure to Juliet. Lucy is Juliet's best friend who kind of takes the place of a typical Victorian waif, but you quickly realize she is just as stubborn and determined as Juliet is.
Onto the boys. You really didn't think we'd seen the last of Montgomery and Edward now did you? They're baaaack! Don't ask me how the hell they managed to do it (I can't even explain how the heck Juliet managed to make back to London in one piece), but they did. Obviously, we know that Edward is the one doing the murders (this isn't a spoiler guys. It's made clear in the first couple of chapters). Edward is split into two parts, where the Jekyll and Hyde reference comes into play: on the one hand, he is the charming, handsome, charismatic Edward Prince, but he can transform in a second to his other counterpart "The Beast" (which is always used in the third person). This is the part Dr. Moreau created from various animal parts. He's also charismatic, but he's extremely dangerous as well. But the funny thing is, his killings are all against people who have tried to do Juliet wrong. a weird sort of justice, in a way. This may make him a hero in some reader's eyes or a villain in others. Montgomery is still... well, Montgomery. Noble of him to come back. His personality is pretty much the same. I admired his courage and devotion to Juliet.
Pros:Someone seriously needs to invent a time machine so I can go back in time to Victorian London. I loved how much action there was, and I loved, loved LOOOOVED it!!
Cons:If I took a shot of whiskey every time Juliet parted her lips, I'd be roaring drunk right now. So I think the author overkilled some phrases a little bit. But other than that, there wasn't anything I thought was blatantly wrong.
Love triangle?:Oh yes; Edward vs. Juliet vs. Montgomery. The love triangle played a predominant part in the story, which kind of turned off some reviewers. It wasn't a big problem for me, though I did kind of get tired of the constant back-and-forth. For a love triangle, it was well-executed, which is surprising especially in the YA genre.
Instalove?:Since this is a continuation of a series, the romances still continue. So technically no, but Juliet falls right back in love with her love interests.
A Little Romance?:Well, Juliet certainly doesn't waste any time as soon as her love interests mysteriously come back to London. Right away, she and Edward reconnect their romantic sparks, one thing leads to another and....
Needless to say, when Montgomery comes back, he's not pleased. Especially since Edward is bonkers. Juliet is constantly torn between these two handsome fellows. I for one had a hard time choosing which team I ship.
Conclusion:Like I said before, the author evidently isn't cutting Edward a break, based on the cliffhanger. And it looks like the last book will be based on Frankenstein. I think I know how it's going to end, but I can't wait. This series is one of my new favorites, and the action, adventure and romance pull me in every time.
Read This!:The Madman's Daughter and Untitled by Megan Shepherd, the other two books in the trilogy. Megan Shepherd is a good writer. And for the inspiration behind these novels, read The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein.
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