"Paranoia had crept into that part of my brain usually reserved for reason." -The Madman&#

My rating for the Madman’s Daughter is a strong 9 out of 10 jellybeans. Imagine a bag of one hundred jellybeans, and only eating 90 as you read this book. ONLY??? But that’s how dark and intriguing it was to me. Add it to your to-read list.

Juliet Moreau, a young city girl, has lost basically everything. After her father is caught in the middle of a horrible scandal and is exiled, her mother dies, and the pretty dresses of her former life sold and sent away, she is trying to pick up the pieces as a maid at a college in London. However, things go downhill fast, and Juliet is escaping on a boat with the young lad that served her father, trying to get to the one person that ruined her life and ignored her. The horrendous experiments couldn’t be true, right? Right?

Sixteen, beautiful, and in love, Juliet is trapped both physically and internally. Who can be trusted? What is happening on the island? Is there truth to be found among those with a talent for play-on words? Is she even who she thinks she is?

My, oh my, where do I even begin? First of all, Juliet’s father is crazy, if you didn’t already get the hint from the title, but also a genius. Some of the characters, particularly the men, have these strange, hidden truths and mysteries that don’t seem clear but really show off their personality and motivation once Juliet figures them out. I also was entranced by the dark secrets that the island had. That the father had. That Juliet, unknowingly, had. It is super haunting and creepy, which is part of why I was unsure about my feelings towards this book. It’s brilliant! But it is also hard to visualize and smack-in-the-face creepy. Juliet, honestly, isn’t much of a feminine role model. She doesn’t stick up for herself as much as Hermione or Tris or Katniss would. But once she understands her situation, she can adapt pretty fast. Conclusively do not read in a corner at night.

My recommendation is for the brave, but also for the timid. It’s nice to get out of your comfort zone and speculate with the cryptic side of the pond. There’s some science fiction aspects. Readers of Ender’s Game or that sort of thing (The Darkest Minds *cough cough*) would probably enjoy this book. Or if you need a little historical twist to spice things up, there’s lots of that. Furthermore, there’s a lot of misogynistic baloney to laugh at and rage about, if you’re down with that sort of thing.

Formula: Gory + Romance? + Steampunk + Beast = Balthasar

#katie #historical #scifi