TLP Reads: The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

So, you really shouldn't be all that surprised by now that quite a lot of my summer features will include book reviews. My university work load can get pretty daunting at times, so it's really only this time of year that I get the chance to sit down and lose myself in the world of books - fictional ones, that is. That being said, here's another installment of TLP Reads! I'd actually had The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd lying around for awhile (probably a year or so) and never really got a chance to start it, and when I spotted it on the bookshelf yesterday, I thought, why not?

Note: I did try to write a short review, but alas, that didn't happen. So fair warning. 

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For sixteen-year old Juliet Moreau, life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park ever since the scandal that changed her life 10 years ago. Barely making ends meet as a maid, Juliet seizes the opportunity to leave her life in London once she finds out that her genius of a father is still alive and continuing his supposedly gruesome work on a remote island. The accusations never were proven true, and Juliet is determined to find out the truth. Together with her father's assistant, and her childhood friend, Montgomery and castaway Edward with a shady past, Juliet makes the journey to her only family left, only to have her whole life rocked by the truth behind her father's exile to the island. Although she knows that what he is doing is wrong and against the very nature of existence, she can't help but marvel at his success - leaving Juliet to wonder whether she has a little of his maddening genius in her own blood. With the island falling into chaos and distress, Juliet is determined to leave her island prison before she falls victim herself, either to the Beast or her own father.

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What did I tell you? Brilliantly written period settings have definitely grown on me this summer, and The Madman's Daughter is no exception. Of course, the story does mainly take place on a remote island where the locals aren't exactly human, but the way in which the characters carry themselves and speak are true to the time period where horse carriages, lavish gowns, telegrams and brothels were a thing. I'm fifty-fifty on wanting to see this novel made into a film adaptation. Note: fifty-fifty - as much as I would love to see this on the big screen, I'm iffy when it comes to writers and directors putting their own, somewhat unnecessary, spin on already well-crafted written pieces. Why can't they just leave them be?

Now I can't write this review without telling you what it is Juliet's father does, so here it is - he experiments on animals, and has finally managed to make animals resemble and behave like humans, although not perfectly. They are the inhabitants of the island, and work as servants, carrying out every one of Juliet's father's orders as if he were their God. Technically, this wasn't a secret, as it is hinted in the first half and made prominent throughout the latter half of the novel.

Juliet Moreau's character has quickly become one of my favourite fictional heroines, with her quick-wit, compassion, spirit and boldness. Having gone through quite a devastating childhood and falling from her high-society pedestal, she finds herself struggling to keep herself out of the streets as a maid at a prestigious university. In the dark of the night, she sweeps and cleans, all while trying to avoid the advances of Dr. Hastings. She sounds somewhat like a weak and timid girl, but in reality, she's anything but. Juliet is a fighter and survivor, so when she runs into Montgomery and forces him to tell the truth of her father's whereabouts, Juliet believes that she finally has a chance to turn her life around. And during her time on the island, I love how Juliet is able to maintain that headstrong attitude, and how she grows as she comes to face certain challenges. You could almost think of her as a Victorian Katniss Everdeen, minus the bow and arrow and instead of trying to survive in a dystopian world, she's trying to escape the world she knows.

And of course, we can't have a story like this without a love triangle! There's Montgomery, her childhood friend who taught her everything she knows medically, who she considers a big part of her past life, and possible future. Raised and trained by Juliet's father, Montgomery is every bit the son he wished he had - only he is far more compassionate, thoughtful and intelligent than they thought. Not so much like the servant boy Juliet's father sometimes views him as. The growing attraction between Montgomery and Juliet is undeniable - so much so that you wished the ending didn't end that way. Now we have Edward, secretive and shady, yet protective and focused on getting Juliet out of the island. He's quite pushy, which did annoy me at times and made me want to scream "Leave Juliet alone!" but for reasons that I shall not mention as it would give away so much - albeit I did figure out certain aspects to his character half way through reading. Still, there are moments where you can't help but root for him. Don't worry though - the love triangle isn't the central part of the story, though it is expertly laced into certain situations the characters throw themselves in. Kudos to Shepherd for that.

As for Juliet's father? (who I can't recall the name of, if they did call him by name in the story) I both loved and hated him. I loved him in the way Juliet did - for his outrageous success in doing what he did and being able to further advance his capabilities. Hated him for his insensitivity and cold-heartedness towards everything, even Juliet. All I really do have to say about him, is that he got what he deserved in the end, genius or not.

Another element I loved about The Madman's Daughter is Shepherd's attention to detail when it came to describing the physical appearances of the islanders such as Balthazar and Caesar - their eyes, skin (err, fur for some of them), motions, etc. were so vividly written that my mind went nuts imagining how creatures like them would look like in real life. Hence why I'd love to see a film adaptation. Imagine this gracing the big screen:

"Beside me was a slanting-eyed, bald woman with oddly translucent skin that seemed to reflect sunlight. She splayed my hand with four smooth, strong fingers... The woman hissed, revealing a snake's forked tongue."

My only downside to this book? The parts in which Juliet found herself lost in the juggle, and I admittedly got lost too. I couldn't exactly tell what was happening, and that frustrated me to no end. Perhaps it was just me, but those moments did have me put the book down to try and make sense of what was happening first before continuing on with the story. But that downside is purely minor to all the positive things I found with this book - the story, characters, descriptions of the islanders and atmosphere are unique and greatly written, and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the next book. Yes, I only found out too, that this was the first of a trilogy.

The whole 'being able to make animals resemble and behave like humans' did throw me off a bit before reading, but it was definitely this element of the story that captivated me throughout. Admittedly, this book has opened my mind to scientific things like so, and I'm welcoming anymore books circling around the same theme to my personal library. To be able to carry out such a feat, well, you must truly be a mad genius! And Juliet's father is exactly that, with the aid of trusty, 'devastatingly handsome' and equally brilliant, Montgomery. Is it obvious I'm Team Montgomery all the way?

If dark and beautifully written fantasy novels cleverly interweaved with romantic and family conflicts are your thing, I'd definitely suggest you check out The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd! It too, is a great breather from the typical fantasy novels out there, and you won't be disappointed with all the mystery and adventure the story captures you in. Perhaps you'll find yourself getting a little 'mad' too.
Happy discovering!