Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Sheperd- Review and GIVEAWAY

Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter, #2) 
The Madman's Daughter: Her Dark Curiosity (2)
By Megan Sheperd
Genre(s): Historical-Fiction, Retellings, Young Adult, Horror

Pages: 420

Publisher:  Brazer & Bray
Published: Jan 2014
Summary:  "To defeat the darkness, she must first embrace it.

Months have passed since Juliet Moreau returned to civilization after escaping her father's island—and the secrets she left behind. Now, back in London once more, she is rebuilding the life she once knew and trying to forget Dr. Moreau’s horrific legacy—though someone, or something, hasn’t forgotten her.


As people close to Juliet fall victim one by one to a murderer who leaves a macabre calling card of three clawlike slashes, Juliet fears one of her father’s creations may have also escaped the island. She is determined to find the killer before Scotland Yard does, though it means awakening sides of herself she had thought long banished, and facing loves from her past she never expected to see again.

As Juliet strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness, she finds herself once more in the midst of a world of scandal and danger. Her heart torn in two, past bubbling to the surface, life threatened by an obsessive killer—Juliet will be lucky to escape alive.

With inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is a tantalizing mystery about the hidden natures of those we love and how far we’ll go to save them from themselves."
 
Review:   So many thoughts are still swirling inside my head after finishing this book. Where to begin? Well, let's start with the obvious. I loved it! It has all the best of the first book but with some darker plots in motion. More danger, suspense and intrigue than The Madman's Daughter. While the first book is a retelling of The Island of Dr. Moreau, this book brings us a twist an the famous tale of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! And during the blending of the tales, Megan Sheperd doesn't miss a beat!

**Warning: If you have not read The Madman's Daughters plot and character spoilers may be mentioned in this review. Turn away now if you have not read the first book and don't want anything revealed.



This book takes places a few months after Juliet is set adrift from the island. She has been found and taken in by the wealthy and caring Professor Von Stein. While her life may seem to have taken a turn for the better, they have not. She is ill. The serum she was taking is no longer properly working. She is hurt over Montgomery's betrayal to send her off alone and guilt is nibbling her about how she aided in the death of her father. Then former wrongdoers unto her are found dead and murdered!

Talk about a lot to take on at her age! Sheesh. Double (triple?) lives, secrets and then murder?! It does not help when she knows who the murderer is....

Edward and Montgomery are also in the city for this book. Edward needs help, Montgomery has become a hunter and there are other dark secrets roaming the city streets. This book has a lot of great suspense and intrigue. It is darker and more violent than the first in my opinion. And more mature.

The love triangle once again takes effect but it is so much more than just a triangle now...

Lucy plays a much larger role in this book than the first. At the beginning she seemed like nothing special. Just your average, rich girl of the age. But as the story progresses, she proves she is much more. Elizabeth is a new character we meet and I really like her. Compassionate and independent. And Balthazar is back too! I love him! He is a favorite for this series. He is so sweet and heroic.

Moving on to our leads... Juliet. While I love her for her on one hand she also gets a bit annoying with how she is constantly comparing herself to her father. I get it, especially for the time setting, but I also wanted to shake some sense into her. Edward seems sweet enough but when he is not, look out! And then there is Montgomery. I cannot make up my mind about him. I like him. He has done well for himself and cares for Juliet it seems but he has his secrets still and those secrets have me leery of him...

Overall, I am very impressed. The author has done a fabulous job recreating worlds and sharing them in a bold new way! The characters are all fantastic and well-written. The writing is engrossing and compelling! Hints are given to keep you going but nothing is given away. While the end does give you an idea for the theme of the next book, I have no idea what to expect. Potential theories yes but there are many ways to go. Now I must wait impatiently for the third book of the series...

*I received a free ecopy of this book from Balzer & Bray via Edelweiss, in return for a fair, honest review. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.* 
And now for a giveaway!  I have enjoyed these first 2 books so much I want to gift them to others to enjoy!  
Enter to win your choice of The Madman's Daughter or Her Dark Curiosity.
 Winner will have 48 hours to respond once notified.
Giveaway is INTERNATIONAL
All entries WILL be verified!!!!

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38 comments:

  1. Your reviews are great and informative. I've purchased some books based solely on your reviews. However, it'd be nice to change your blog theme once in a while (background photo, colors and font) for refreshment. Just a suggestion. Keep up the good work.

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  2. Great review! I still havent started this series and it sounds amazing. I love that time period and I love that they are retellings of great novels. I am a little nervous about the love triangle because I dont like them but we will see, maybe I will love it.

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  3. I love that you included the link to your review of the first book. I haven't read it yet but it sounds so interesting! Since I haven't read the first book, I didn't read this review but thank you for hosting this giveaway so we can get a chance to discover an amazing story :)

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  4. I think that this series looks amazing!
    I love young adult horror books!
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  5. Wow! I'm glad to know another one enjoys this trilogy aside from me. I was hesitant to read Her Dark Curiosity because of how Juliet's TSTL moments on the first book annoyed me, but I saw Khanh's review on GR and that got me excited. This book was an enjoyable read despite its flaws. Mannn, the cliffhanger at the end just made me look forward to to A Cold Legacy more! Did I mention this trilogy has one of the best covers ever? :D (I think I'm fangirling so much. Sorry. ^^)

    To be honest, the one I like most about this review is that you included a giveaway to share the adventure to us. I did read the 2 books already but I don't own physical copies, so I'm really grateful for this giveaway. It gives hope. :D I do agree with the other comment about the blog theme tho. It would be cool to see a bit of changes. ^^
    Thank you for hosting this!

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  6. I am not sure that this book could have more intrigue thrown in there! To have similarities with the other books that are classics is astonishing. I think you did a great review on this book, you sure made me what to read it!

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  7. Wow, great review! I love a book that includes character growth, and it is one of the main elements I look for when adding a novel to my to-read list. The plot is also very intriguing, and I will definitely have to read this one.

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  8. Nice you think the characters are written well; haven't read it

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  9. I like that you've linked your review to the first book before this review, and I like the way you structure reviews!

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  10. I have heard great things about The Madman's Daughter/Her Dark Curiosity, but still haven't had a chance to read them.
    Loved your review, the way you described every character and gave your opinion on them. Also, I didn't know there was a love triangle, so I'm grateful for that piece of information. :)
    Thanks for a generous giveaway! :)

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  11. I absolutely love this series! I've re-read The Madman's Daughter last month and ALL THE FEELS. Seriously. Her Dark Curiosity is a fantastic sequel! I adored your review! It is definitely more darker, but I love it!

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  12. *skims over review* Sorry, I don't read any reviews of a book that I haven't read yet! So I took a look at your The Madman's Daughter one, which I've read and loved! I loved Juliet's strength and I thought it was a very dark and twisted read, too. It was such an interesting book and I can't wait to read the sequel. :)

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  13. I loved your review. It makes me want to go out and buy the book now! I loved the first book in the series and can't wait to get around to the second :D

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  14. I really like this series, so it is awesome to know that you are enjoying it as well! Even though I already know about the books and have read them, I still enjoyed reading your thoughts on them!

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  15. I didn't want to read the review because I haven't been The Madman's Daughter yet. I won Her Dark Curiosity earlier this year but I still need The Madman's Daughter. I love everything Victorian so I'm super-excited about these.. And the cover for Her Dark Curiosity is the most beautiful I've ever seen. It looks like a pre-Raphaelite painting. Thanks so much for doing this giveaway!

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  16. I didn't read the review for Her Dark Curiosity because I haven't read The Madman's Daughter, but after reading your review, it's going on my to-read list.
    I like that your review gave an overview of the book without being extremely nitpicky, and gave us a general idea of what the book would be about.

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  17. What a fantastic book! I love your detailed review and have added this book to my TBR list. Thanks for sharing.

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  18. You make me so excited for this book. I NEED IT. I've only heard brilliant things, this just solidified it.

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  19. Sounds like an exciting book. I haven't read the first book yet, but I'm planning to.

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  20. Love the review! I'm thinking of having a copy now of this book but I think I would love to read the original version first. Love that you point out each characters flaws and how they bring so much more into the story :)

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  21. I haven't read this book yet but I need to and your review just made it a priority :)

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  22. I liked the Island of Dr. Moreau, and the Madman's Daughter sounds very good, I'm sure I would enjoy this book to.

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  23. always like monster mysteries - regnod(at)yahoo(d0t)com

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  24. The synopsis sounds really intriguing. Love the cover and the review too

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  25. Amazing review, now I want to read this series! I can't wait for A Cold Legacy to release so I can buy them all. Thank you for the review and giveaway! :)

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  26. I enjoyed this review, I prefer to read a book once I have read an insightful review so I think I'll give these a read.

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  27. This book based on the retelling of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sounds fascinating. Love the cover. I have added this title to my ever growing TBR list. Thanks for sharing the great review.

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  28. I think the cover for this one is the prettiest of the entire series! And thank god Montgomery is back!

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  29. Strangely while I read this, it felt more like a romance than a horror story. LOVED it! Great review!

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  30. I don't really read horror but this sounds really good.
    I love the colours of the cover.
    Great review :)

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  31. really loved the first book! this book looks intriguing as well :) I am definitely going to read it soon

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  32. Is this series all based on retellings?

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  33. I haven't read this one yet, but I'm very eager to find out what the author has done with her retelling of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Such exciting possibilities! :-)
    Cheers.

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  34. It really sounds great. And a big bonus that the covers are so pretty! :)

    /Elin

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  35. Nothing I like better than a dark twisty read and this one sounds like an awesome second book.

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  36. I didn't realize each of these was based on another book! I knew book three was Frankenstein and I thought there were ASPECTS of Moreau, but seeing this one is Doctor Jeckyll and Mr Hyde just adds to the intrigue! (and the shame of not having read so many classics!)

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  37. I'm really looking forward to seeing how all of the retellings in the trilogy tie together. Thanks for the review.

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