Review: The Madman's Daughter

I am a lover of horror and monsters and things that go bump in the night.  Not the slash em' up kind of horror, but the scary kind of horror that keeps you on the edge of your seat with ghosts and creatures of the night.  When I was young, I loved watching movies like Mysterious Island, 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and other adventures. One of these was The Island of Doctor Moreau, the original story by H.G. Wells.  I remember the story clearly and when I fell across The Madman's Daughter and realized it was the story of Doctor Moreau's child, I had to grab it to see what they came up with.

This book was so much fun and the pace didn't allow for much down time.  There were moments in the story where I was anxious, surprised, and even completely appalled at what was being described. Juliet was perfect as Dr. Moreau's daughter.  She was strong, yet also unsure of herself, constantly questioning whether she was stable or cut of the same cloth as her father.  She desperately wanted to believe that he had some good in him.  She was terrified and curious and then terrified and disgusted at her own curiosity.  The pure horror of what the island is could put anyone over the edge but Juliet somehow manages to keep herself together, even after she realized how dire the situation really is and that her life may end on the island if she doesn't find a way to escape.

Dr. Moreau himself is a genius of the mad scientist type.  He is portrayed as both brilliant and insane, and truly believes that his experiments are just and acceptable. The details of the experimentation and the creatures on the island are not always easy to read about but also give the story that dark edge which is both difficult to read but fascinating at the same time and really pays homage to the original story. The creatures/humans were both creative and disturbing but also instilled empathy and compassion from both myself as the reader and from some of the characters in the story.

There is a bit of a love triangle in the story and I'm usually not a fan of this, but it works in this book and it doesn't overpower the rest of the story. Both male leads were written very well and I actually loved the direction they both took in the story. The romantic plot line was a little bit tiring due to Juliet's constant back and forth and there were a few moments where I wanted to slap some sense into her but the way it ended (to be continued) was both unique and a bit surprising.  I had some theories but I didn't realize exactly what was going to do happen until just before the end. 

The Madman's Daughter gets a five star rating from me.  I have already bought the second book and can't wait to get started to see what happens next.  I highly recommend it to anyone who likes this genre.