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lesserjoke's review
3.0
I love the idea of a prequel to The Island of Dr. Moreau, particularly one told from the point of view of his daughter (a new invention -- there were basically no female characters in the original novel). And that idea is very well-executed here; Juliet is a great character, and her time on her father's island is a gripping gothic adventure of mad science and suspense. The plot fits nicely in the gaps left in the original H. G. Wells story, while also staking out plenty of new territory of its own. Unfortunately, it's bogged down a little by a completely unnecessary YA love triangle, with Juliet's heart torn between two fairly bland male suitors. But in the moments when she sets thoughts of romance aside, Juliet's story soars.
christy15reads's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
tangodiva's review
1.0
No characterization. Very empty prose. I love The Island of Doctor Moreau. I hated this book.
jrosenstein's review
4.0
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a YA re-telling of The Island of Dr. Moreau . Now, I have never read the original but I'm guessing neither has most of this book's intended audience. It stands nicely on its own as Victorian gothic well in the spirit of H.G. Wells, but with the point of view shifted to a female heroine. Shepherd handles both the suspense and romance well, and there are some good twists. My only gripes are that I wish all YA fantasy did not have to feature a love triangle and be part of a trilogy. I didn't really feel that this needed to be the start of a series.
tsaik's review
3.0
Not every story needs a romance. I enjoyed the read, it was very imaginative and it was easy to get into but kept rolling my eyes at the forced romance.
thelilredhead's review
2.0
I love any book that doesn't depend on pitiable love triangles to push the forward. This is not that book.
logan08's review
4.0
This book was beautifully written. I loved the premise of the book, and I loved all of the characters, though I hated Juliet's father. I was not a fan of the ending, although it might be necessary to tie in to the second book. I am not a fan of love triangles, and even though the romance was drowned out a little by the action and adventure of it all, I couldn't stand that there was so much of a love triangle present between Juliet, Edward, and Montgomery, when it was very obvious from the start that she was in love with Montgomery. I also hated how Juliet's father was so sure that his creations wouldn't attack him, even though he knew that the animals he had made them out of were dangerous. All in all it was a very good book, but there were a few things about it that I couldn't stand. I would love to read this book again and want to read the second book.
daphx00's review
4.0
If you would have asked me what I thought when I was halfway, I would have said 'meh'. It was a bit too slow for my liking, but picked up steam after that and from around 60% and on it got quite fast paced and turned into an exciting book for me. The ending is promising and really makes me want to read the second book.
Full review to come.
Edited to add (20/10/11): I have read and reviewed a very early draft of the manuscript. Because of that, the novel hasn't completed the editing process and my review might not be accurate when the book will be published. My opinion is based on the draft version of the manuscript.
Full review to come.
Edited to add (20/10/11): I have read and reviewed a very early draft of the manuscript. Because of that, the novel hasn't completed the editing process and my review might not be accurate when the book will be published. My opinion is based on the draft version of the manuscript.