The Madman's Daughter Official Blog Tour: Review & Playlist

 

Welcome to the official blog tour for The Madman's Daughter! The tour is running from January 21 to February 1 and is being hosted by HarperTeen. Be sure to check out the bottom of my post to see the other stops on the tour & follow along!

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Genre: YA Fantasy/Mystery/Horror

Release Date: January 29, 2013

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Description:

In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. 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.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.  

 

The Madman's Daughter is a new Gothic mystery/thriller based on H.G. Wells's classic story "The Island of Dr. Moreau." It follows Juliet Moreau's mission to find out the truth about her father and to get answers to all of her questions. Once Juliet finds her childhood friend Montgomery and learns that her father is actually still alive and living on a faraway island, Juliet decides that she's going to the island to face her father. Once Juliet arrives on the island, all of her fears and suspicions turn out to be true and she soon finds herself in serious danger as chaos erupts around the island. On top of dealing with her father, his sick experiments, and the reality of what has been happening on this island, Juliet struggles with her feelings for Montgomery and attempts to figure out another visitor to the island - a mysterious gentleman named Edward Prince - who is hiding secrets of his own.

I am a huge fan of Gothic thrillers and horror stories remniscent of the classics like Edgar Allan Poe and H.G. Wells. Once I read the description of this book, I knew I had to read it. I wasn't sure what to expect and I was blown away by the book. The story is incredibly well written with a fast pace that made it impossible for me to put down. I was immediately drawn to the characters - especially to Juliet - and was completely immersed into the setting by the end of the first page. The descriptions and details that the author uses throughout the book - not only for the setting, but for the characters and the happenings - are fantastically written. I had no problem believing the story and I felt as though I was right there alongside the characters while everything was taking place. The characters themselves were very interesting and unique. Each of them had realistic details and personalities. I really liked Juliet's spirit and intelligence - she was a strong heroine who had no trouble speaking up for herself. Dr. Moreau was a really intriguing man who was written almost like a puzzle. I really liked learning bits and pieces about him that eventually put together a clearer picture of him in the book. As for the romance, there is a bit of a love triangle between Juliet, Montgomery, and Edward Prince. Truthfully, I thought it was painfully obvious how deep Juliet and Montgomery's feelings were for each other and I was definitely rooting for them to be together throughout the entire novel. 

This was a very creepy, strange and utterly enchanting novel that completely exceeded my expectations in every way. I loved every bit of the story - from the detailed descriptions of everything, to the characters and their relationships with one another, to the thrills and mystery of what was really happening in Juliet's father's laboratory, to the scary problems on the island - each and every part of the book had me eagerly devouring the pages. I couldn't seem to read fast enough - and yet, I didn't want it to end. This is a really unique beginning to what surely will be an enthralling Gothic thriller series. My only problem is now I have to wait for what feels like forever for the next book to come out. I highly recommend this book to fans of Gothic fiction, thrillers, horror, and historical fiction. 

Here's my playlist to go along with the book:

1. Bring Me to Life - Evanescence

2. The Cliff of Suicide - Gothica

3. The Gothic Embrace - Draconian

4. Haunted - Evanescence

5. What Have You Done - Within Temptation

6. Death, Come Near Me - Draconian  

7. Afterlife - Nemesea

8. Memories - Within Temptation

9. My Immortal - Evanescence

10. Missing - Evanescence

 

Megan Shepherd was "born" into the book world, growing up in her parents' independent bookstore in Western North Carolina. She is the author of THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER trilogy (Balzer+Bray/2013), and THE CAGE trilogy (Balzer+Bray/2014). When Megan is not writing, she can usually be found horseback riding, day dreaming at coffee shops, or hiking in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains. She is represented by Josh Adams at Adams Literary.

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THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER TOUR

1/21  A Dream Within A Dream            Playlist

1/22 Hobbitsies                                      Author Q&A

1/23 Birth of a New Witch                    Top 5 Favorite Quotes

1/24 365 Days of Reading                     Author Q&A

1/25  Sci Fi Chick                                   Favorite Scene

1/28 Word Spelunking                          Top 5 Favorite Quotes

1/29  Books with Bite                            Author Q&A

1/30 The Mod Podge Bookshelf           TBA

1/31 Once Upon a Prologue                  Top 5 Favorite Quotes

2/1    Book Twirps                                 Favorite Scene