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2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

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2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

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Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge

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Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo

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2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge

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Showing posts with label H.G. Wells. Show all posts
Showing posts with label H.G. Wells. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 04, 2015

Second Madman's Daughter Novel Brings New Twist to the Series

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

(Note:  While this review will not contain spoilers for Her Dark Curiosity, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, The Madman's Daughter.  As always, I recommend reading series in order.)

Months after escaping the island of horrors created by her father, the infamous Dr. Moreau, Juliet is back in London.  The 17-year-old has been taken in by an old family friend, giving her the stability to remake her life.  As much as she longs to forget her dark legacy altogether, Juliet finds that at least some of its pieces have followed her back to England.  Edward Prince, now known as Dr. Jakyll, makes a disturbing appearance, as does his alter ego, a vengeful beast.  It can't be coincidence that Juliet's acquaintances are falling victim to a murderer who appears to claw them to death.  As if this weren't enough to deal with, Juliet's barely managing to keep her own inner beast under control.  Her father's corrective serum is becoming less effective every day.  If she can't recreate it for herself, her own animal instinct will surely take over.

As Juliet's world devolves into chaos and violence, she must figure out how to save not just herself, but also all the people she loves most.

Just like The Madman's Daughter spun a classic horror novel (The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells) in a new direction, so does Her Dark Curiosity, the second installment in Megan Shepherd's popular Gothic trilogy.  Weaving elements of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde into the narrative gives the story another layer of intrigue.  Atmospheric and eerie, the tale is both chilling and exciting.  Juliet continues to annoy with her fickleness, especially when it comes to romance.  Love triangles are almost always irritating—this one is no exception.  All in all, though, I enjoyed Her Dark Curiosity.  The twist at the end pushes the series in a new direction, which convinced me to give the final book a chance even though I haven't been as impressed with the first two as I'd hoped to be.

(Readalikes:  The Madman's Daughter and A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find
Tuesday, February 03, 2015

My Top Ten Ways for the World to End


Y'all know how much I love Top Ten Tuesday.  It's a fabulous weekly meme hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish.  If you're looking for great new book blogs to follow, lots of reading recommendations, and traffic for your own blog, you want to get in on this.  Plus, it's fun to respond to the weekly question.

Before we get to that, though, I want to make sure you know about the awesome giveaway I have going on right now.  Up for grabs is a signed hardcover copy of Fairest, the newest book in The Lunar Chronicles series by Marissa Meyer.  It's a prequel that tells Queen Levana's story.  The winner also gets a signed bookmark.  Cool, right?  Click here to be redirected to the giveaway post.  Don't forget to come back after you enter!

Alright, back to the TTT topic du jour:  Top Ten Books I Can't Believe I Haven't Read From X Genre.  I chose dystopian/post-apocalyptic books because even though I'm a big fan of the genre, there are lots of classic dystopian books I've yet to read.  Here are the top ten that came to mind most readily:


1.  The Road by Cormac McCarthy—I broke one of my cardinal rules by watching the movie version of The Road before reading the novel.  One of these days, I'm going to brave the book.



2.  1984 by George Orwell—My husband is aghast at the fact that I haven't read this dystopian classic.  I need to remedy that soon.


3.  On the Beach by Nevil Shute—I didn't love this bleak tale in movie format, so I don't know how I'll feel about the book.  Still, it's on my need-to-read list.


4.  Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card—I've tried to read this one a few times and can never get past about Page 50.  I'm not planning to attempt it again, but I still can't believe that I've never read it all the way through.


5.  The Stand by Stephen King—Right?  I need to read this one, like, ASAP.


6.  Under the Dome by Stephen King—Ditto for this one.  I've got a copy on my bookshelf, it's just so dang HUGE.  I'll get to it one of these days.


7.  Lord of the Flies by William Golding—I'm pretty sure I have read this one, it was just so long ago that I don't remember much about it.  Either that or I've never read it.  I definitely should.


8.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood—I started this one a few months ago, but put it down in favor of a newer, shinier title.  I need to get back to it.


9.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury—I read this book-burning dystopian classic back in junior high or high school (you know, a million years ago).  A re-read is long overdue.


10.  The Time Machine by H.G. Wells—I've never read anything by Wells.  This would be a good place to start.

What do you think?  Which dystopian big hitters do I need to read ASAP?  Which have you read and loved?  What books can you not believe you've never read?  

*All book images from Barnes & Noble
Wednesday, January 07, 2015

Shivery Dr. Moreau Retelling As Creepy As the Original (Probably)

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Ever since the gruesome nature of her father's work was brought to light six years ago, Juliet Moreau has been careful to keep her head down.  The 16-year-old spends her hours working as a maid at a research hospital in London, going to church every week, and trying to forget she ever knew a man named Henri Moreau.  He's dead.  He, as well as the terrible research he purportedly engaged in, is better left forgotten.

Juliet has (almost) succeeded in putting her father out of her mind when she discovers that the rumors of his demise have been exaggerated.  According to Montgomery James, an old friend of Juliet's who is now her father's assistant, Henri is very much alive.  Refusing to be abandoned by her father once again, Juliet insists on accompanying Montgomery to the remote island where he lives and works.  What she finds there is a horror show of walking, talking experiments.  Repulsed and fascinated in equal measure, Juliet knows she has to leave the awful place before she becomes her father's willing accomplice.  But escaping the monsters on the island isn't so easy, especially when the most terrifying one of all might just be your own flesh and blood.

I've never read H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, but I know enough of the story to be creeped out by it.  Not that that stopped me from picking up The Madman's Daughter, a spin-off of the sci fi classic.  On the contrary—it made me even more eager to give the debut novel by Megan Shepherd a go.  Shepherd's version is a shivery Gothic tale full of mystery, suspense and, of course, scary monsters.  As Juliet discovers the truth behind her father's experiments, the reader can't help asking moral questions that are just as relevant today as they were in 1896, when Wells published The Island of Dr. Moreau.  All these things made the story appealing to me.  Not so palatable was the annoying love triangle between Juliet, Montgomery and a stowaway named Edward Prince.  Our heroine's irritating fickleness drove me mad, making her a less likable character, even though it's probably the only time she acts like a typical 16-year-old girl.  All in all, then, I found The Madman's Daughter engrossing and enjoyable.  Not my absolute favorite, but not bad either.

(Readalikes:  The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells; also, The Madman's Daughter's sequels, Her Dark Curiosity and A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:


for language (no F-bombs), violence/gore, nudity, and sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Madman's Daughter with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.  
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