Dual Review + Giveaway: Her Dark Curiosity AND A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd

Title: Her Dark Curiosity (The Madman's Daughter #2)
Author: Megan Shepherd
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Publication date: January 28th 2014
Buy the book (locally): Fully Booked
(Internationally): Amazon / Barnes and Noble



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.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

Oh my.

Oh my, my, my.

Megan Shepherd has definitely done it again and again... and again.

As an avid reader, I have read a lot of sequels that did not live up to expectations (save for a few written by genius authors) and I just glad to be able to say that Megan Shepherd has managed to deliver a book that lived up to my expectations, and a little bit more.

Her Dark Curiosity takes place a short while after the events of The Madman's Daughter and as you read the first few pages, you'll already know that some crazy shit stuff is about to go down. Juliet is struggling to make a cure and she's relapsing, someone or something is killing civilians and there may or may not be something sinister at hand relating to Juliet's father's experiments (the signs point to hell yes). Her Dark Curiosity is definitely darker than its predecessor and more complex, which is one of the things I really loved about this book. Megan Shepherd dug deep into the dark, dark core of this one and gave it an unexpected light.

The internal conflict going on within Juliet was extremely fascinating to read about. It wasn't just her recovering from the events of The Madman's Daughter, it was deeper than it. The constant battle between her innate goodness and the unshakeable evil inside of her completely reeled me in. Juliet was a contradiction as a person and it worked for her, she was characterized perfectly but the push and pull between her different sides added a unique quality to her that truly called to me. I wouldn't say that Juliet matured from the previous book because Juliet has always been mature; you will notice with the way she analyzed, observed and thought things through that she is a genuinely intelligent and grown up lady. When I found out that Her Dark Curiosity was influenced by Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I first thought that it pertained to Edward/The Beast but as I read on, I felt that there were parts of Juliet that warred with each other. Just like Edward, which led me to think that the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde reference could also be applied to Juliet. Which is why I applaud Megan Shepherd for being able to create such a wonderfully complex yet appealing character.

Another character I want to commend Megan Shepherd for writing is Edward. I didn't appreciate him that much in the previous book but in Her Dark Curiosity, I was able to connect with him more and truly "get" his character. (In the first book, I was 100% on Team Montgomery but in this one, I am 111% on Team Edward. Swoon!) Like I mentioned above, Edward and Juliet were similar to each other and because of that, I was able to get a proper feel of his character. Tortured. Lonely. Torn. Just a few words to describe Edward at first glance, but as Megan Shepherd delves into different aspects of his person, you truly get to see him in different lights. There were way too many instances wherein I wanted to give him a good cuddle because daaaym, that boy is something else. And don't even get me started on The Beast. There was something weirdly erotic about him, no matter how sinister he seemed. I will admit that his character managed to seduce me one too many times... and I don't regret it. The contrast between the two aspects of Edward was... alluring, to say the least.

While the previous book focused more on Juliet's father's crazy island, the setting of this novel shed more light in the happenings of London. It was interesting to see how each event was linked to the next, from Dr. Moreau's involvement with the King's Club and other things that are too spoiler-y to mention. All I am going to say is that unexpected and slightly insane things will happen, especially when you reach the latter part of the book. The whole novel itself was filled with tight twists and sharp turns that managed to have me stuck to the book pretty much the whole day. I was completely engrossed. So. Much. Crazy.

In terms of other parts of the book that made it so dang enjoyable, it was mostly the characters that gave the book character. The different events in the novel made it exciting and daring but the people in it gave it life; from Montgomery's shift as a person to Lucy's helpful disposition, I felt like I was going out to meet friends I hadn't seen in a long time. One character that wormed his way deeper into my heart was Balthazar. I can't even properly express how much I absolutely adore that man. I literally just wanted to hug him throughout the whole book.

And don't even get me started on the romance. I pretty much wanted to steal both Edward and Montgomery away just to end Juliet's confusion. Though her love for Montgomery is a solid thing, too many rough things have happened between them that are not too easy to forgive nor forget. The love between the two was visceral and so real that it demanded to be acknowledge but it was also too raw and a bit distrustful, I honestly felt bad for them. And Edward too. (Let me comfort you, Edward. Hohoho.)

All in all, Her Dark Curiosity was a wonderful read. The way Megan Shepherd coupled a great plot with her beautifully distinct writing made the experience all the more enjoyable. If you loved The Madman's Daughter, then you need this sequel. Need. Also, I am just so relieved that I have A Cold Legacy in my hands. BRB, reading now.

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Title: A Cold Legacy (The Madman's Daughter #3)

Author: Megan Shepherd

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Publication date: January 27th 2015

Buy the book (locally): Fully Booked

(Internationally): Amazon / Barnes and Noble

After killing the men who tried to steal her father’s research, Juliet—along with Montgomery, Lucy, Balthazar, and a deathly ill Edward—has escaped to a remote estate on the Scottish moors. Owned by the enigmatic Elizabeth von Stein, the mansion is full of mysteries and unexplained oddities: dead bodies in the basement, secret passages, and fortune-tellers who seem to know Juliet’s secrets. Though it appears to be a safe haven, Juliet fears new dangers may be present within the manor’s own walls.

Then Juliet uncovers the truth about the manor’s long history of scientific experimentation—and her own intended role in it—forcing her to determine where the line falls between right and wrong, life and death, magic and science, and promises and secrets. And she must decide if she’ll follow her father’s dark footsteps or her mother’s tragic ones, or whether she’ll make her own.

With inspiration from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this breathless conclusion to the Madman’s Daughter trilogy is about the things we’ll sacrifice to save those we love—even our own humanity.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads.)

Review:

Megan Shepherd does not stop. At all.

A Cold Legacy wasn't as disturbingly enticing as The Madman's Daughter nor was it as creepy as Her Dark Curiosity. A Cold Legacy was a slow shiver that you feel creeping your body and you just won't be able to help yourself to be enthralled by the mystery of Ballentyne's halls.

Juliet and co. are on the run because of reasons and of course something is going. And something did happen. Elizabeth, Juliet's warden, sends her to her family's ancestral home, Ballentyne, wherein Juliet and co. are met with a mixture of cold shoulders and warm welcomes. Ballentyne comes complete with a house full of helpers who you'll immediately notice are a bit different than your average human being. And since A Cold Legacy was inspired by Frankenstein, it's obvious that a dead thing or two will be reanimated... yay!

If there's one thing that plagues Juliet the most, it's knowing that her father's blood runs in her veins carrying his mad genius-ness along with it. While this is a recurring issue for her, Megan Shepherd still manages to dig even deeper into the recesses of Juliet to show her very person and her insecurities. Aside from that, her shoulders have even more weight on them since she was declared as the heiress of the von Stein family, inheriting everything and everyone belonging to the family (*cough*and their secrets*cough*). A lot of responsibilities have been given to Juliet and her learning to prioritize and see the importance of things added a certain depth to her character that wasn't there before. I was definitely satisfied with the way she handled herself throughout the whole book; making hard decisions and learning from her experiences. But even though she was "whole" most of the book, she is still just a girl and the cracks within her made her all the more believable as a person. Also, I bow down to Juliet's science magic powers.

I can't really get too into what happened in the book without spoiling what happened in this one and Her Dark Curiosity but I will say that someone from the previous book comes back and a lot of intense things happen. But I felt that this was secondary to the events in the manor they were in, regarding Juliert, the von Stein secret and of course, Edward. I was actually relieved to see that Megan Shepherd didn't rehash Edward's issues from the last book, instead she managed to connect something completely different and turn the idea into something new (you'll know what I'm talking about once you read the book).

The only thing that kind of put me off with the book was Lucy. I liked her in the previous books because she was a great friend to Juliet and also because she had a backbone and stood for what she believed in. The reason I didn't particularly like her in this one was because of her attitude in regards to Edward and all her peer pressuring. Girl is cray, guys. And yeah, to the very end, I didn't like her. Sorry (not really sorry). But hey, there were other characters whom I ended up really liking like McKenna, Moira, creepy kid Hensley and as always, Balthazar! Oh. My. Balthazar. How I completely adore him. I literally just wanted to take him and keep him in my pocket the whole time. (And the goat bits? So much awww.)

And can I just say? Montgomery is an absolute sweetheart. He's the kind of guy you fall in love with and stay in love with even though you think you've buried all that love somewhere deep. He and Juliet are not perfect, they hurt each other without meaning to and they have disagreements but in the end, they are a unit. They work together and they talk to each other.  Juliet and Montgomery do not let their problems fester and turn into an incurable disease, they work hard to find a remedy for that injury and slowly mend it. Their love is a quiet but passionate thing that you won't be able to help but feel. I ship those two so much.

A Cold Legacy is a stunning conclusion to The Madman's Daughter trilogy, I enjoyed it from the beginning to the very end (and yes, the ending was very satisfying). If you haven't read this series yet, I suggest you start now because you are missing out. Seriously. I am pretty much a fan of Megan Shepherd's... forever.

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Her Dark Curiosity and A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd are available at Fully Booked.

Just wanted to say a quick thank you to the amazing people at Fully Booked (Trish, Angel, Yvonne and co.) who made this all possible. You all ROCK.