The Madman's Daughter

Title: The Madman's Daughter
Author: Megan Shepherd
Pages: 464 (paperback)
Series: The Madman's Daughter (#1)
Published: January 2013 by Balzer + Bray
 (All links lead to the books' respective Goodreads pages)

Summary: Following accusations that her scientist father gruesomely experimented on animals, sixteen-year-old Juliet watched as her family and her genteel life in London crumbled around her—and only recently has she managed to piece her world back together. But when Juliet learns her father is still alive and working on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the old accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward, Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's insanity. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

My Thoughts: What a great thrilling read, am I right?!  Oh my lordy the suspense was palpable throughout this book and I absolutely loved the creepy and mysterious feeling it had, too. I mean after about the second chapter I had a hard time putting it down because it became so easy to immerse myself into this wonderfully rich and dark world.

 First off, I found Juliet to be a great protagonist for this story. She was a little frail and weak at times, but that gets explained later but other than that I thought she was a great central character to this book. I also enjoyed reading about Juliet's love interests, Montgomery and Edward. Their backstories became more and more complicated as the book went on and I could not get enough of it.

"Wait, TWO love interests? Is this a love triangle mayhaps?" you may balk at your screen. Why yes this book has yet another love triangle in a YA series, but it wasn't badly done. Quite the opposite, I think. Edward's love for Juliet was a bit insta-lovey, but he grew on me in time as did Montgomery and in true love-triangle fashion, I had chosen sides because that's what you do in situations like these. Edward vs. Jacob. Jem vs. Will. And now Edward vs. Montgomery. It is book law.

Oh and did I mention there's a twist ending? "TWISTS?! I LOVE TWISTS," you may say to your screen (because, like me, you talk to your electronic devices too much). Good! This would be a great book-match for you, dear reader. As for me, I too love a good twist and an even grander mystery, which is another reason why I enjoyed this book so much.

I honestly went into this book not expecting too much, especially with the reading slumps I seem to always be in, but I came out of this reading experience happy and excited to get my hands on the next installment, Her Dark Curiosity. I haven't a clue where the story is headed but I'm anxious to find out!
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars