Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - The Madman's Daughter

I had so many issues with the main characters, but if you go into the book expecting to hate everyone and hang in there just for the insanity, to I’ll probably have a good time!

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avaweyrich's review

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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cowline's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

This was so difficult for me to get through. I think it may be too young for me. The main character, Juliet, is very unlikable. Also, the references to animals suffering was upsetting.

This book has cheesy feminism. This was the main factor that made me think this book was too young for me. It just feels like there could be much more clever ways of include anti feminist statements from

her father and Juliet's response.

Also I guessed literally every single twist.

Just a stupid complaint but the love interests were described as being ugly. I was so disappointed with their descriptions that were constantly referenced.

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b10tch's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

The concept was great, but the main character was annoyingly emo, the love interests one dimensional and unnecessary, the love triangle stupid and even more unnecessary, and there wasn’t enough creepy content. I have a huge soft spot for monsters, and I wanted way more creature content than I got. I loved Balthazar, Alice, and Jaguar, and I wanted more about them and their lives and their relationships. Edward was lame, honestly he could have just not existed and 90% of the plot would be unaffected, and Montgomery was the most cookie-cutter, literally-no-personality-traits-other-that-being-allegedly-hot, love interest ever. Chemistry = 0
It was fun, but maybe read something else.

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anne_sophie's review

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2.0

Such a great premise but I should have known this is not for me straight away after reading chapter 2. I really didn't like any of the main characters and also this book includes some very problematic notions which were not handled well in my opinion.

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romiress's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Reread in 2021, and I am a bit less enthralled with it than I was. Original review below:

Oh man. I loved this book. I really did. Somehow it managed to take several elements I despise and make them into fantastic literature. I hate love triangles. I really do. Most of the time they are entirely unconnected to the main plot and quite poorly done. This love triangle felt important to the plot and realistic. You could understand why she fell for both men, which is a small miracle in the YA genre, where I almost never feel like I know what they see in each other.

The ending was fantastic (and definitely not a cliffhanger), and the book wraps itself up nicely enough that it could count as either a stand alone or as part of a series, and I'll no doubt end up reading the rest just because I enjoyed the first so much.

It felt atmospheric, and most of all realistic. Not in the monster bit, which was realistic enough to get a pass, but in how the characters reacted. The characterization feels excellent, and I felt like everyone developed through the story.

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victorianvalkyrie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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kristenm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! I didn't expect for us to actually travel to Moreau's island (I didn't actually read the blurb) so that was a nice surprise. In a way I was glad the whole book wasn't set in London. Despite Juliet being 16, I found most of the time this didn't read as a YA. She was very mature, and complex in her thoughts. There were definitely some steamy YA type "love scenes," but the rest of the novel was very adult in tone.

I will admit the last quarter was a bit much for me. There were almost too many twists. I'd rather the main reveal be more developed, as I got a bit bogged down with so many sudden revelations about nearly everyone and everything.

Note; when I warn there is animal cruelty, I mean it. There are graphic descriptions of animals suffering, as well as allusions to the suffering and abuse of animals throughout. It fits in the story, and it's not gratuitous, but could definitely be upsetting to some readers.

Normally I wouldn't consider reading a sequel to a book like this, but it is based on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde so I am all too tempted....

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