Jen's Review
by Megan Shepherd
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release Date: January 29, 2013 (US)
Pages: 420, Hardcover
Source: For review via Edelweiss
Rating: 4.5 Teacups
My goodness, you guys.
This book is unlike anything I've ever read. The
Madman's Daughter is full of grit, savagery, and intensity. Because of
this, it's memorable and terrifying at the same time. This book is absolutely
unput-downable and totally addicting.
The prose itself is
one thing that I have to mention: lush and beautifully written, it adds more to
the already mysterious and hypnotic mood to the story. From description to
description of the island to the creatures, the visual images Shepherd creates are
vivid and real, as if the reader is submerged in the world itself. Shepherd's
writing style is juicy and just plain awesome.
My favorite part of
this addicting story was the different and exciting characters. The character
development and changes that they go through are incredible; from being
civilized to savaged, Juliet slowly learns the horrifying truths about the
island and her father. I couldn't help but feel for her-- I found myself
gasping along with her revelations. Juliet is also a cautious character, and
thank the lord for that or she would have died a long time ago. Yes, there is a
love triangle. I wasn't terribly annoyed with this, but Juliet's indecisive
thoughts were a little hair-pulling sometimes. I was a strong believer of
Montgomery from the start, purely because he and Juliet shared a past together
and his friendly nature was endearing.
And I totally have a
love-hate relationship with the vivid descriptions of the creatures. I think
it's completely terrifying and disgusting, but it's also kind of cool, if that makes me a terrible person for
thinking that. The island setting and concept just works really well, and it's
enchantingly intriguing. The story is captivating and is quite an addicting
read; I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next.
The one minor issue I had with The Madman's Daughter was the ending to this story. Not going to
spoil anything, but WHAT THE HECK. NO. You canNOT just end a story like that.
It's not a cliffhanger, but it's just
like, HELLO I WANT MORE. Sorry for the all-caps, but it was a bit
disappointing. I suppose it inspires the reader to read book two, but still.
However, it did evoke an emotion out of me, and it is unexpected. My heart kind
of melted a bit. It's an interesting type of ending. I didn't like it, but I
liked it. Yep. Best way to put it!
So as you can see, I
highly enjoyed The Madman's Daughter. If
you're in for a spine-tingling, great romance, and an awesome retelling, please check out this book, I'm begging you.
Even if you don't completely enjoy it, I promise you that you'll be glad to
have read a book with such a unique concept. I highly recommend it-- I'll
definitely be looking out for book two!
4.5 Teacups for The Madman's Daughter!
*Thanks to Harper Collins and Edelweiss for providing me with a review copy!*
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